


One More Life

by myshipsaresunk



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alive AU, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Eventual Romance, Fun, Happy Ending, Jumanji AU, Like seriously slow slow burn, Multi, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:15:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 31
Words: 103,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27439450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myshipsaresunk/pseuds/myshipsaresunk
Summary: Jumanji AU. On the night of their groundbreaking Orpheum performance, Luke, Alex and Reggie decide to play a video game they find to ward off their nerves...only this is no ordinary game and they get sucked into the world of Jumanji. Twenty five years later, Julie Molina is still struggling with her grief from her mom's death. In an attempt to take her mind off her pain, she starts playing an old video game she finds in her garage. The twist? Julie alone can come and go in the game. She devotes all her time to helping the boys escape, an unspoken question hovering between them the entire time: what happens when they finally escape?
Relationships: Alex/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Julie Molina/Luke Patterson
Comments: 224
Kudos: 310





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! I have an unhealthy obsession with this show so I couldn't resist writing this. It starts as a Jumanji AU and then it's going to end up as a High School AU, which probably makes no sense now but will later on in the story. I'm making up my own unique Jumanji scenerio instead of copying the movies, though there will be some similarities. Normally I write the entire fic before uploading but I couldn't resist this time, so while I'll try and make weekly updates I can't make any promises. It will have a happy ending, I promise!

**Chapter 1**

**1995**

“That’s it.” Reggie pushes off the worn couch. “I can’t sit still any longer.”

He shakes out his arms and legs, bouncing on his heels. Luke, still sitting on the couch, glances over at Alex and they share a knowing smile. Although Reggie is the most transparent of them, they all have the same nervous energy rushing in currents through their veins.

“We still have two hours before the show.” Bobby sets aside the book in his hands. “I’m going to see if that cute girl working the soundcheck is still out there.”

“Here.” Luke leans down and grabs a white logo shirt out of the cardboard box by his feet and tosses it to him. “Give her this. And a copy of our album.”

Bobby catches the shirt and unfurls it in front of him. Their band name, Sunset Curve, stands out in stark contrast to the lighter background. He grabs an album CD from the stack on the table and waves half-heartedly as he disappears through the doorway.

“Maybe we should try and reach out to guys as well,” Alex suggests. “I know the three of you are fine with the overwhelming majority of female fans, but I personally wouldn’t mind a few more male groupies.”

Luke reaches out his arm and knocks at his shoulder with the back of his hand. “Don’t worry, man. After tonight, we won’t have any lack of fans. This is our big break.” He laughs in disbelief and looks up, where the stage of the Orpheum is at this moment set up with their instruments. “After tonight, we’ll be legends.”

“If we make it to tonight.” Alex’s leg is bouncing like crazy. He sets a hand on it to try and settle it but his foot still taps with pent-up adrenaline.

“We’re going to kill it on the stage tonight, if that rocking sound check was any indication.” Luke smiles at him. “If there is one thing I’m sure of, it’s that we’re meant to play the Orpheum.”

A loud crashing sound tears his attention away. Both Luke and Alex lean forward and peer around to the other side of the room, where Reggie is rifling through a stack of boxes. He spins around, a black game console in his hand.

“You know we have to pay for anything we break, right?” Alex calls out. Reggie just shakes the console and grins.

“Sitting around here panicking about the performance isn’t going to do us any good. Let’s play a few rounds.”

Luke shrugs. “I’m down.” He walks over and grabs the TV cart, wheeling it over in front of the couch while Reggie sets up the game console.

“What games do they have?” Alex asks.

Reggie ejects the DVD and sets it back in. “This one’s called Jumanji. Never heard of it.” He tosses a controller to Alex and takes one for himself before taking his seat back on the couch. Luke turns on the TV and leaps over the table, crashing into his spot between Reggie and Alex. Both of them groan and smack him.

“Alright.” Reggie clicks through the beginning of the game. “Here’s the fun part: selecting Avatars.”

“There’s no pictures. Just names and power-ups.” Alex frowns. “And look, one’s already taken.”

“Must be a glitch. Or maybe we haven’t unlocked it yet.” Luke clicks around the six different character options. He settles on one and grins. “Oh, yeah.”

Alex looks over at his choice and rolls his eyes. He selects a random one, not caring too much. Reggie, meanwhile, agonizes over two.

“This one has fighting powers and berserker mode! But this one has flying powers. I can’t choose.”

Luke leans over and presses the select button on his controller. “You’re taking too long. Let’s go!”

The screen with the avatar options fade out to black. The room around them darkens with it. The boys all exchange glances. Thick green vines begin to break through the floor and the fluorescent lights on the ceiling flickering on again - only now it’s just one light, and it’s not a bulb.

It’s the sun.

“Uh, guys…” Reggie holds his hands out, displaying his empty palms. Luke and Alex look down to see that their own controllers have disappeared. Around them, the basement of the Orpheum has morphed into a jungle landscape.

Alex inches closer to Luke. “What’s going on?”

There’s a rustling in the thick brush and Reggie nearly jumps into Luke’s arms as the head of a snake with large fangs appears, its reptilian eyes lazily blinking as it stares them down. All three boys inch backward, clutching tightly onto each other.

There’s the sound of a choking engine and a caged four-wheeler pulls up in front of them. A man with a bushy white beard reaches over and cranks down the dirt-streaked window.

“Get in!” he calls. “I’ll explain along the way.”

Luke leaps forward, nearly ripping the shotgun door open in his haste. Reggie and Alex pile in the back and the old man floors the gas pedal.

“Where are we?” Luke shouts above the noise of the engine. His voice sounds strange to him. When he looks in the rearview mirror, he’s shocked to see Alex and Reggie gone, replaced by two strangers.

They meet his eyes in the mirror and he recognizes something in their gaze at the same time he realizes that his own eyes aren’t his own. He turns and looks at his reflection in the side mirror and his heart plummets to his chest as he sees a complete stranger staring back at him.

He looks back over at the driver, speechless. The man smiles grimly.

“Welcome to Jumanji, Arizona Johnson.”

-

**2020**

Julie drops her backpack down on the kitchen table and heads to the fridge. She glances inside for a few seconds before slamming the doors shut with a growl. She whirls around and stomps halfway to the stairs before her father’s voice reaches her.

“Rough day?”

She sighs and alters her course to the living room, dropping into the armchair across from him. “Always.”

His face softens and he leans forward. “Do you want to talk about it?”

She shakes her head. Then she takes a deep breath. “We’re re-auditioning for our spots in the music program in two weeks.”

A troubled expression settles into her father’s face. “Ah. And you still haven’t - ”

She presses her lips into a tight line in answer.

“Julie, have you considered maybe seeing Dr. - ”

“No!” She leaps to her feet. “I’m fine. I just don’t know if music is something I want to pursue anymore. It’s too - it’s too hard without her.” Her voice trails, the last two words barely audible.

Her dad is the one who sighs this time. “You have a real gift, Julie. I would have to see you lose it. But if it’s what you think is best….you know I only want what’s best for you. Whatever that turns out to be.”

Julie swallows past the lump in her throat. Although she’s beyond grateful for her father’s support, a part of her is disappointed he’s letting her give up so easily. Music was the one thing she and her mother shared above all else. Deep down, she doesn’t want to give it up. She just doesn’t know how to reconcile the grief of her mother’s loss with the joy that music brings her. It’s tearing her apart inside.

“Thanks, Dad.” She motions towards the stairs. “I have homework to do. Other classes to look at.”

She grabs her backpack and runs up the stairs. She passes Carlos in the hallway, who gives her a concerned look. Nothing like getting worried looks from her younger brother who has been handling the death of their mother better than she has.

Julie swallows back the bitterness and throws herself onto her bed. She lays there for a few minutes, closing her eyes tightly and just focusing on breathing in and out until it stops hurting. Everyone told her time would make things better, would dull the pain, but she hurts more every day. Everyone else around her ripped the band-aid off and are now healing; she’s slowly peeling the adhesive back and it’s ripping out every part of her with it.

A buzz from her phone draws her attention. She flips it over and reads the texts from Flynn.

_What are you going to do for the audition?_  
I can’t decide between covering Nicky Minaj or Rihanna  
You could totally cover a Broadway song 

Julie stares at the texts, dread sinking even further into her bones. It’s not enough that she’s causing her family worry; she’s also disappointing her best friend.

_...you are auditioning, right?_

Her fingers shaking, she types back a response. _Yeah, ofc_

Julie immediately feels guilty. Lying to Flynn violates every section of their unspoken friendship pact. She just can’t bring herself to admit that she doesn’t know if she’ll ever sing again. She can’t even listen to music these days.

She turns her phone off and digs through her backpack, pulling out her homework. Since her mother died, Julie’s become an exemplary student. With the exception of music class, of course. She’s desperate for anything to take her mind off the constant press of grief.

After an awkward family dinner, in which Carlos and her dad made painful conversation to fill the silence, her dad stops her from heading back up to her room.

“Um, Julie?”

“Yeah?”

“I know you’re still handling things, and you’ve got a lot on your plate with school, but I was wondering if you could maybe take a few hours to go through your mother’s studio. I could do it myself, but you spent a lot more time in there and I don’t want to accidentally throw anything valuable away…”

Julie knows her dad is just baiting her into coming to terms with her mother’s death, but the pity and concern in his eyes pushes her over the edge. She draws herself up and forces a smile.

“Of course. That’s not a problem at all. I’ll do it now.”

Julie’s never been good at lying, and it’s obvious from her father’s expression that he doesn’t buy it. Whatever. She’ll prove to him that she’s fine - even if she’s really not.

The garage lies about twenty feet away from the house, completely hidden from the road by the row of trees surrounding their property. A few trees and bushes sit between the garage and house, hiding it from view as well.

She takes a deep breath and pulls open the large barn doors. They’ve never used the garage to store cars and other than a few cardboard boxes full of holiday decorations and other miscellaneous items they swear they’ll use again someday, it’s open and clean. There’s a loft area up top with some junk from the previous owners they never got around to sorting through and throwing out.

The lower part of the garage is decorated with furniture they picked up off the side of the road and plants they got on sale. A brown couch along the side wall also belonged to the previous owners and other than throwing on some mismatching decorative pillows, Julie’s family hasn’t touched it. The back wall of the garage has a large window spanning the entire upper half that allows in plentiful natural light during the day and the boxes of junk have mostly been covered by brightly colored sheets. Patterned carpets cover permanent grease stains on the floor.

The main feature of the garage-turned-music-studio is the piano in the very middle. A tan fitted cover is on top and a centimeter of dust covers that. Julie sets her hand on top and closes her eyes as a fresh wave of pain sweeps over her. In the quiet emptiness she can hear the haunting echoes of her mother’s sweet laughter and traces of her sweet voice. Graceful piano runs fill the space between. This abandoned room was once a place of wonder and miracles, of false notes sounding discordantly beautiful and improvised bridges turning ordinary sounds into masterpieces.

This room is where Julie spent most of her first fifteen years of life. In the past year, she hasn’t stepped foot inside.

Julie moves around the piano to sit on the bench. The piano doesn’t seem as tall as it used to; she’s grown since she was last here. She reaches out and pulls up the front of the cloth cover as well as the keylid. Her fingers rest a hair’s breadth over the ivory keys and there she freezes.

In her mind she sees herself pressing down, her hands searching out the familiar shapes of her favorite chords. She hears the soft music drift through the air, all the more sweet for finally being freed.

She lives in an entirely different world in her mind. In this world, reality, she can’t move past the mental block that prevents her fingers from pressing down.

She drops her head in shame. Julie knows her mother would be disappointed if she saw her now. Music was a gift they shared. Music was the thing that united them. Now music is out of touch and out of reach just like her mother.

She shuts the keyboard and slides off the bench. She’s supposed to go through her mother’s things, not sit around and wallow in grief. 

The first box she finds is full of old staff notebooks filled with her mother’s cursive writing. Everything about her mother was musical, even down to her lyrical handwriting. Julie sets the box on the piano bench. Even if she can’t make music herself, she refuses to throw away anything her mother created. 

She sorts through a few more boxes of random items - pencil stubs, pens that have long since dried up, sticky notes with old appointment reminders and cryptic shorthand, bent paper clips and crumbled sticky tabs.

She happens upon a box with a strange assortment of items. What catches her eye most is a black CD case with the band name Sunset Curve in bold white letters. The CD itself is familiar - she’s seen it once or twice before, and the logo also looks familiar, though she can’t place where exactly. She flips over the case and reads the song titles on the back. She can’t remember ever listening to this CD, though she’s sure she did at some point in her life. While her mother didn’t discriminate when it came to music genres, she did keep her personal collection very small and carefully selected.

Julie moves across the room to the CD player and slides it in. She cranks up the volume loud enough to comfortably hear and then settles onto the couch, tucking her knees up to her chest and draping a blanket over herself that still smells like her mother’s perfume.

Rock music plays out, filling the emptiness. Julie doesn’t recognize the song but the style sounds familiar. It reminds her of Trevor Wilson, the artist who got her into rock music. She and her mother used to dance around this very studio to his music. He was one of those musicians who produced an amazing first album and then never came even close again.

Though the music itself isn’t sad, the memories that come with it are. Julie hugs the blanket closer, inhaling deeping the ever-fading scent of her mother. Her eyes sting and blur and tears cascade down her cheeks. Julie has cried since her mother died, but it always felt like the kind of crying you do when you have too many conflicting emotions inside and no other way to channel them out. The kind of crying she’s doing right now is genuine mourning.

Her breath hitches and sobs burst out one after another until she’s too exhausted to continue. The music carries on in the background, the lead singer telling a story of moving forward without looking back. Julie wishes she were like him. She wishes she could move on. She wishes she weren’t stuck in place, held captive by her sorrow.

Once the tears dry up she reaches out for the album CD and pulls out the booklet. She opens it and skims over the pictures of the band. Sunset Curve consists of four guys, the base guitarist and rhythm guitarist with dark brown hair, the drummer with blond hair, and the lead singer wearing worn jeans with a cut-off tank, an orange beanie covering the wavy ends of his brown hair. They’re all dressed in nineties outfits, and when Julie checks the date on the back of the album, her guess is verified.

Julie wonders what these guys are up to now. Though she hasn’t been paying full attention to the music, she can tell that they’re all very talented, especially considering how young they all appear. She wonders if they ever got big or if some drama in the band tore them apart and scattered them to the winds. She wonders if they have families now and if they still make music.

She knows she could easily look it up on her phone but she doesn’t. The mystery of what became of them is more interesting than reading a wikipedia article. It’s more fun to fantasize about them playing a sold out Madison Square Garden than learning that they gave up or sold out to a mainstream record studio. 

Julie stays out in the garage until the CD finishes. The last song was a good album ender, wrapping up all the themes of rebelliousness, adventure, uncertainty but optimism for the future, and the excitement of youth together with a tinge of homesickness and nostalgia. Julie leaves the CD in the player when she turns off the lights and closes the doors behind her.

Her father is waiting up on the couch when she comes in. Her eyes must not be red anymore because he simply raises an eyebrow in a silent question.

“I found some of Mom’s old songbooks,” she tells him. “And then a few boxes of odds and ends.”

“I’ve heard that all the best artists are messy. A left-brain thing.” He hesitates before adding, “I’m proud of you, Julie. I know this has been hard on you, but you’re not letting it beat you down. You’re the strongest person I know, and there’s no one else I’d rather have for a daughter.”

Julie could appreciate his words more if she didn't feel so guilty. She hasn’t earned them yet. She didn’t think she was a good liar, but apparently she’s managed to fool him into thinking she’s much better than she really is.

It’s all she can do to force a smile and say, “Thanks, Dad.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All rights belong to the creators and writers of Julie and the Phantoms (2020). I take no credit, and I do not mean to break any copyright rules. This is simply a work of fiction made for enjoyment. No money is being made.
> 
> Rating: K
> 
> Author's Note: I've got a bunch of chapters written so early update! Next update will be Saturday. Chapter 3 Teaser: Julie joins the game

**Chapter 2**

“Who has animal abilities?” Luke calls out, his feet pounding against the hard-packed soil of the jungle floor. “Reggie?”

“I’m just good at gymnastics and killing people!” He barely sounds breathless, a benefit of his avatar’s endurance stats. Luke also lucked out with high physical capabilities; Alex not so much.

“Guys, wait up!” Alex huffs. He’s several paces behind them and much closer to gleaming fangs of the lion chasing after them. 

“You have animal abilities!” Reggie calls back without slowing down. “This is your challenge!”

“I don’t know how to use them!” Alex’s avatar’s voice is higher and reedier than his real life voice. The stress in it causes Luke’s chest to clench but they have to keep running. So far they’ve escaped every life-or-death experience they’ve encountered, but it’s only a matter of time before they fail. 

When they entered the old temple two days ago, it was completely by accident that Luke’s avatar’s quick thinking and leadership navigated them through a dozen deadly boobytraps. He’d just let his new body move and listened to the foreign voice inside his brain that warned him where to look for the next assault.

When they were exploring the town yesterday, it was Reggie’s avatar’s berserker mode that leap out and killed all the would-be assassins who surrounded them. Luke and Alex had both been especially impressed and jealous when it was discovered that Reggie’s avatar also had the flexibility of a professional gymnast. His display had cut off coldly all their jokes at his expensive.

“I’m like freakin’ Black Widow!” Reggie had crowed when he landing on the ground again in a super-hero like fashion. 

“You’ve even got the red hair,” Alex pointed out.

Today is apparently Alex’s turn to test out his avatar’s powers. The white-haired man, who had given them an introductory speech on Jumanji and their supposed mission here, had mentioned something about them each having unique powers. They figured out how to access their ability and stat lists, but that doesn’t mean they understand what everyone on it means or how it works.

“You have to trust yourself!” Luke calls back. “Let your avatar do all the work.”

“Giving up control isn’t exactly my strong suit!” Alex shouts back. His breathing is sounding more labored by the second. Luke’s chest once again tightens. He knows that Alex can get pretty bad anxiety at times, but being chased by a hungry lion isn’t exactly the same as answering a phone call or walking up to the help desk.

Luke slows down and waits for Alex to catch up. The lion is just a couple paces behind them now. Maybe Luke’s high strength or leadership stats can help him defeat the lion.

Facing into its ever-nearing jaws, Luke finds himself freezing.

Alex passes him and then, realizing he’s stopped, turns back. The lion slows down, pacing back and forth in front of him and snarling, the upper part of its lip peeling back to reveal shining rows of sharp teeth. 

Alex tugs on Luke’s arm. “We have to keep moving.” The strain in his voice is enough to tell both of them that running is hopeless. Unless they can figure out how to harness their abilities to defeat it, they’re at the lion’s mercy now.

“At least Reggie got away,” Luke says, his voice weak. Alex’s hold on his arm tightens.

The lion steps up to them and roars. Alex and Luke squeeze their eyes tight. 

“I have an idea,” Alex whispers into Luke’s ear. “But in case it doesn’t work out, be ready to run.”

“I’m not leaving you behind.”

“If you don’t, then we’re both dead.” Alex releases his grip on Luke’s arm. Luke opens his eyes to see Alex slowly inch away from him. The lion’s brown eyes are fixated upon him, his tail twitching with every movement.

“Animal abilities, please work,” Alex prays under his breath as he slowly reaches out his hand towards the lion. “That’s a good boy. Here, sniff my hand. I don’t want to hurt you, and you don’t want to hurt me. We’re all friends, right?”

Alex shoots Luke a fierce look. Although it kills Luke to do so, he has to trust that Alex knows what he’s doing the same way Alex and Reggie trusted him to lead them through the rigged temple. He cautiously steps back, putting distance between him and the lion.

“Steady, now,” Alex says, reaching out his hand closer. “That’s right. I’m a friend, see?”

For a moment, Luke thinks Alex has everything under control. Then the lion’s haunches tense and he leaps forward, his jaws opening wide. Luke screams when they close and blood squirts everywhere.

His avatar must take over because instead of freezing again, a rush of adrenaline flows through him and he grabs onto the nearest tree branch, ripping it off with a harsh splintering sound. He rushes at the lion with the jagged end, spearing him in the side. The lion roars in pain and Luke attacks him again. With a loud yelp, the lion turns tail and runs away.

“What happened?”

Reggie appears again, his eyes darting around at the scene. “Where’s Alex?”

Luke’s jaw drops. “How can you miss him? There’s blood everywhere!” 

Although the last thing Luke wants to do is turn and look at the half-shredded remains of one of his best friends, he forces himself to turn. To his shock, there’s no evidence left on the jungle floor that Alex was ever there, let alone died.

“He...died?” Reggie’s eyes water. He takes a stumbling step towards Luke.

The sky above them ripples and a shrill scream splits the air. Reggie and Luke glance up in time to see Alex, alive and whole, falling from above. In their shock, they don’t have enough time to react before he lands right on top of them, sending them all tumbling in a groaning heap.

Luke crawls free and immediately grabs Alex, pulling him into a tight hug. Reggie piles last, wrapping his long arms around all three of them. Luke isn’t sure his heart can keep up with all the surprise and fear and action of the past three days, let alone however long it takes them to learn how to escape this nightmare.

When they’re reassured of their survival, they sit back in the dirt, breathing deeply and recovering their wits.

“You good?” Reggie asks.

Alex shakes his head. “No, man. I just died! And it hurt! You both know how poorly I handle change. Right now, this is a lot of change.” He pulls up his sleeve to itch at his arm and that’s when Luke sees it.

“Hold out your arm,” he says. Alex gives him a strange look but does so.

“Since when have you had a tattoo?” Reggie demands, leaning over to get a better look at the dark slash on Alex’s wrist. “And why such a boring one?”

“I...didn’t.” Alex’s expression is nothing short of bewildered. “Where did it come from?”

Understanding dawns on Luke and a chill creeps up his spine. “It’s not a tattoo. It’s a warning.”

“A warning of what?”

“We’re in a video game, right?” The boys nod. “And in video games, you often get a certain number of lives.”

Alex’s eyes widen. “It’s a reminder of how many lives we’ve lost. We’re allowed to die, but only a certain number of times.”

Reggie leans back, uncharacteristically serious. “But how many lives do we get?”

No one has an answer for him. They sit back, a tense silence surrounding them.

“Well, at least we know Alex’s gift isn’t lion charming.” Reggie’s try at humor falls flat, but a thin layer of the tension melts away. Luke climbs to his feet and secures his pack around his shoulders. 

“We should get moving. We have no idea what’s in the forest and I don’t think it’s a good idea to be here after the sun goes down.”

“Where do we go?” Alex asks. He traces the black tally on his arm nervously. “If the white-haired man was right, we have to find that lost treasure or whatever. That means we’ll have to face the final boss and we probably won’t be safe anywhere.”

“There’s almost always somewhere safe in a video game,” Reggie says. “We just have to find it. If we have to go against a finale boss, then I want to make sure I know how to play this game fully before losing all my lives in one go.”

“Let’s focus on getting out of this forest first,” Luke suggests. “Then we’ll try and find this safe place.”

Neither Reggie nor Alex has a better idea so they all set off along the wild trail, the sun at their backs.

-

Julie feels herself sliding back deeper into her seat as she stares at the boy in front of the class. His eyes are closed as his fingers move swiftly across the strings of his electric guitar, filling the air with sweet sound. Julie didn’t think it was possible to fall in love with someone through their playing but here she is.

Flynn, sitting next to her, shoots her a knowing smirk. She waits until the solo comes to an end and Mrs. Harrison says, “Nick everyone! That was beautiful!” to lean over and whisper, “I’ll give you this, Nick’s pretty talented.”

Nick’s eyes roam around the class. He holds Julie’s eyes for the shortest of seconds before his girlfriend, Carrie, takes his arm and drags him down to his seat next to her. Julie can’t tell if she imagined the slight smile that appeared on his face when he saw her.

“Of course, he’s already taken and good luck getting Carrie’s claws out of him.” Flynn sits back in her chair. “So, have you picked out a song for your audition yet?”

Julie’s guilt creeps back and she squirms in her seat. “No, I haven’t decided yet.”

“You better get on that! Two weeks will go by real fast, especially if you haven’t touched a piano in almost a year.” Flynn’s face softens. “I know it’s hard, but your mom would want you to do this. She was so proud of who you were as a musician.”

“I know.” 

Julie’s so sick of hearing the same few phrases over and over again: “Your mom would be proud!”, “You have such a gift!”, “Think of what she would want if she was still here!” The phrases are all redundant and meaningless. Her mother is gone, who cares if she would be proud or if it’s what she would have wanted? And what’s the point of a gift that causes her more pain than joy? That deepens her sorrow instead of releasing it?

She’s also tired of saying “I know.” It’s like a mantra that has slowly built up a wall around her heart, protecting the truth of her emotions from escaping.

Julie doesn’t want to talk about her mom or about music. She wants to forget her difficulties and concentrate on dumb high school things like her distant crush on Nick and the stupid amount of homework she has. 

Julie is thankful when Carrie and her posse set up in front of the class for their performance. It dawns on her that her life must be pretty pathetic if she’s grateful to Carrie for anything. Still, she can’t help herself from shifting her attention from the whirlwind of thoughts and emotions in her mind to the musical spectacle in front of her.

Spectacle is in fact the only way to describe Carrie’s performances. Like her father, the famous Trevor Wilson - yes, the same Trevor Wilson whose music got Julie into rock music - Carrie is a good singer and dancer. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that her daddy buys her the best instructors and choreographers money can buy.

Julie and Carrie used to be best friends. She remembers dancing around the other girl’s mansion as a kid, rocking out to Trevor Wilson’s album. All his gold and platinum awards hung on the wall. Apparently it got to Carrie’s head after a while. She and Julie started growing apart in middle school and by high school Carrie had completely replaced her with a bunch of other rich girls.

As if being pretty and rich wasn’t enough, Carrie also managed to snag Nick. He’s both a talented musician and one of the star lacrosse players for their school, not to mention one of the few nice popular guys. Though he and Julie have never been friends, he’s always been friendly to her.

Julie still remembers the first day she came back to school after her mother’s death. Most of the students either offered half-hearted remarks or simply gave her sympathetic looks from afar. She’d been the center of the school’s whispers for a week. Very few people had actually treated her like an actual human instead of just a charity project. Nick was one of those people.

Carrie, apparently, hadn’t been happy about it. She went from mostly ignoring Julie to being outright hostile at times and cold at best. Julie couldn’t even find the energy to be mad at her for it, petty as it is.

Carrie’s performance finishes and everyone claps. Nick stands up and hugs her. Flynn rolls her eyes and sighs deeply. 

Mrs. Harrison dismisses class a few minutes later. As Julie goes to leave, Mrs. Harrison calls out for her. Flynn shoots her a worried look but Julie motions her on.

“Yes, Mrs. Harrison?”

The music teacher is sitting behind the piano. She looks up, her lips pursed. “I wanted to check in with you, Julie.”

Julie shrugs. “I’m okay.”

“That’s what I was worried about. If you need to talk to someone, Julie, you know my office is always open.”

Julie shoves her hands into her pockets and nods. Mrs. Harrison sighs.

“I’m looking forward to hearing your audition,” she says. “It’s been so long since you played. I’ve missed hearing your music.”

That guilt claws back up Julie’s throat and lodges itself deep. She tries to swallow past it.

“About the audition...I’m not sure if I’m going to yet.” Julie stares at the floor, unable to look her in the eyes.

“Whatever you need to do, Julie. But even if you can’t make music now doesn’t mean you have to decide to close that door forever.”

Julie lifts her eyes to meet Mrs. Harrison’s. She can’t express the words to find her gratitude. She had expected the same disappointment that she gets from everyone else.

“Just because you decide to take next semester off doesn’t mean you can’t come back next year. We’d be lucky to have you back whenever you’re ready.” Mrs. Harrison smiles. “I’ve kept you long enough. You should probably get to your next class.”

The rest of the day passes in a blur. Julie feels as though Mrs. Harrison’s words lifted a little weight off her chest. She doesn’t have to decide anything now. She’s just a teenage girl. She has her whole life ahead of her. If she needs to take a few years off, she can.

Flynn notices her upbeat mood as they walk to the bus stop together. When she asks about it, Julie feels that guilt rise up in her again. How long can she keep lying to her friend? It’s just going to make things all the worse when it finally comes out.

“Listen, Flynn…” Julie trails off, her courage nearly abandoning her. “I don’t know if I’m going to audition.”

Flynn’s jaw drops. She stares at her in a mixture of shock and anger.

“I’m still so confused about the whole thing with my mom and it just doesn’t feel right yet. I think I need to take some time off.”

“Time off? Julie, you haven’t played music in almost a year! Isn’t that enough time off?”

Julie shakes her head, but Flynn is just getting started.

“This is about more than the music! This is about us and our friendship. We became friends because of music class. What happens when we’re not in it together? We’ll barely see each other and then we’ll make other friends in our classes and by the time you’re finally ready to sing again we’ll have completely forgotten about each other! I’ve seen it happen to a dozen other best friends and I don’t want it to happen to us.”

“That won’t happen to us,” Julie interjects, reaching out towards Flynn. “We’ve been through too much together. I could never forget about you.”

Flynn pulls away. Despite her harsh words, she has tears in her eyes. Julie knows her well enough to know that she won’t get anywhere with her today. She’ll have to try again tomorrow, after she calms down.

“I just can’t believe you lied to me,” Flynn says, wiping angrily at her eyes. “You should have just told me in the first place.”

An excuse about how she still isn’t 100% sure herself dies on Julie’s lips. It would only make things worse. If she does miraculously find her music again in the next two weeks, Flynn won’t stay mad at her for long. If not…

Julie has a lot going on in her life. She’ll find a way to prove to Flynn that music isn’t the only thing holding them together. It may take a bit of convincing but she knows she’ll eventually win Flynn over. They aren’t best friends for nothing.

“I’m sorry,” Julie says, hoping Flynn isn’t too stubborn to not believe her. “Truly. I won’t ever keep anything from you again. You’re too important to me.”

Flynn crosses her arm and pointedly looks away but she doesn’t argue. Julie takes it as a good sign. The tension around them dissipates and they fall into a comfortable silence.

“Have you found your audition song yet?” Julie asks as the bus nears Flynn’s stop.

“I think so.” Flynn hesitates and then adds, “I’ll send you a recording. Maybe you can give me some feedback.”

“I’d love that.” Julie waves as the bus stops and Flynn gets off. She still has some work to do, but she knows she’s on the right path.

If only getting her music back were so easy.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All rights belong to the creators and writers of Julie and the Phantoms (2020). I take no credit, and I do not mean to break any copyright rules. This is simply a work of fiction made for enjoyment. No money is being made.
> 
> Rating: K+
> 
> Author's Note: I watched JATP for the very first time last week and I already have over 50k of this story written, learned all the lyrics to all the songs, and learned how to play some of them on guitar/piano...I think I'm a lil' obsessed lmao. So anyway, expect this story to be updated about twice a week for the foreseeable future.

**Chapter 3**

“Wait - do you see that?” Luke stops and flings out his arms to halt Alex and Reggie at his sides.

“See what?” Alex asks. His avatar is nearly blind without glasses and he lost them two days ago when they were trekking through the swamp.

Just thinking about the swamp makes Luke shiver. On his character stats it says his weakness is water, but apparently it’s anything even semi-liquid. He lost his first life after making a wrong step and sinking twenty feet into the muck. There was no hope for Alex or Reggie to pull him out.

“There’s smoke rising up beyond the trees.” Luke points.

“Great. We’re heading straight into a forest fire,” Reggie says. His sarcasm falls flat with weariness.

“Not a forest fire,” Alex says, squinting. “See how there are several small columns? That indicates small fires, which probably means there’s a community.”

“Like a village?” Reggie asks, his face brightening.

“I hope so. Let’s go, we might make it before sundown.” Luke starts jogging and the others fall into place behind him.

Just as dusk is falling, they reach the edge of the village. A collection of huts of various sizes are gathered around a couple dusty roads. There’s a strange mix of camels, horses, and quads parked in front of or to the side of the huts. People around them busy themselves with work, paying them no heed.

Luke marches up to a man repairing the thatch of his roof. “Hey,” he says. “Where are we?”

The man turns, his eyes blank. “Hello, traveller. Welcome to the northern trading post.”

“A trading post?” Luke turns back to the guys, his own curious expression reflected on their faces. “Is it safe?”

“The tavern is a great place to take a break and meet people,” the man says. He turns back to his work.

“Thanks.” Luke takes a step away, then turns back. “Uh, one more question - do you know how to escape? Like, to get out of the game?”

The man turns with the exact same motion as before. “Hello, traveller. Welcome to the northern trading post.”

“Uh, yeah. You already said that.”

“The tavern is a great place to take a break and meet people,” the man repeats.

Luke stares at him for a moment before joining the others. “That was weird. It was like he was some sort of robot.”

“Maybe he was a game character,” Reggie suggests. “He exists only to help us.”

“Is that even how this works, though?” Alex asks. “I mean, we’re in a freakin’ video game. Is anyone real besides us?”

“I guess we’ll find out. Let’s hit up the tavern first.”

The tavern is the largest building along the main street. When they enter, they’re immediately hit with the sound of music and the smell of smoke and food. All their stomachs grumble in symphony.

“I am soooo hungry,” Reggie says, setting a hand over his gut. “Man does not live on leaves alone.”

“And berries,” Alex says, looking hurt. “I found us all those berries.”

“And we’re lucky they weren’t poisonous,” Luke says. He digs through his pack and pulls out a money pouch. “Here, I have a few coins. Hopefully it’s enough to buy dinner.”

“I knew they weren’t poisonous,” Alex mutters as he and Reggie follow Luke. “My avatar isn’t _totally_ useless.”

Luke buys them all something to eat and tries to ask the server some questions, only to find out that he only has a few scripted lines like the man outside. They take their tray of food and find an empty table to sit at.

“This band isn’t even good,” Luke complains as they eat. 

“Good thing we’re not staying here, then,” Reggie says. “We need to figure out how to beat this game so we can get back to our real lives.”

A solemn silence falls around them as his words sink in. They are all thinking about their missed performance at the Orpheum. It was going to change their lives and now they’re stuck in a video game where they can die. None of them know exactly what will happen if they lose all their lives - however many lives they have.

It only takes them a few minutes to devour all the food. After a week of trekking through marshes and forests, often confronting obstacles designed to kill them, and eating only leaves and berries, they’re all footsore, exhausted, and ready for a full night’s sleep on a real bed. 

“If we get out of this,” Reggie swears, leaning back in his seat, “I’m never going to play another video game.”

“At least we didn’t get sucked into a war game,” Alex points out.

“But if we did, at least we’d be dead already and not suffering,” Reggie shoots back. “Man, why couldn’t it have been a racing game or a horse game?”

“Yeah, I’d so much rather be in a barbie game.” Luke rolls his eyes. “We’ll be fine. We’ve only lost one life each and we’re starting to get used to our avatars. After we rest up tonight, I’m sure we’ll figure out how to beat this game in a few days. I say, a week max.”

“How are we going to explain what happened to us when we get back?” Alex asks, tapping his finger against his leg. “We can’t tell the truth. They’ll think we’re crazy. I’m not sure we’re _not_ crazy.”

“We can say we don’t remember,” Luke suggests. “We were in the basement one moment and then poof, a couple weeks go by.”

“I think we should make up a cool kidnapping story,” Reggie says. “Then we can get on the news and it would be free advertising for the band.”

Alex stares at him. “We’re stuck in a life-or-possibly death video game and you’re thinking about advertising for the band?”

“It’s actually not a terrible idea,” Luke says.

Alex shakes his head slowly. “I’m surrounded by idiots.”

“Hey, is this seat taken?”

All three boys nearly jump as another guy about their age approaches their table. He pulls out the fourth seat and sits down. Luke and Reggie look at him suspiciously but Alex simply stares as he tosses back his long, dark hair.

“You must be the new guys.” He grins at them. “I’m Willie.”

Reggie’s mouth moves up and down a few times before sound comes out. “You’re not - you’re real!”

Willie laughs. “Yeah, I’m real. And a much better conversationalist than most of the people you’ll find.”

“What do you mean, the new guys?” Luke asks, leaning forward. “There’s been others before us?”

Willie’s eyes darken and his smile fades. “I just meant the last people who played this game. Everyone comes through here eventually. It’s the only safe place on the map.”

“What happened to them?” Alex asks. He hasn’t taken his eyes off Willie since he appeared. “Did they...you know?”

“Die?” Willie shakes his head. “I don’t know. I met them in this same place and then they left to try and finish the game. Never saw them again.”

“So they must have gotten out.” Reggie’s face breaks out into a smile. “There’s still hope for us!”

“Hold up,” Luke says, cutting Reggie’s celebrations off. “How did you know we weren’t them? Aren’t the avatars the same every time?”

“They are,” Willie agrees. “But there’s six different avatars to choose from. Unless there’s a player for every avatar, each group is a little different.” He nods at Alex. “I haven’t seen your avatar in a while. It’s the most unpopular one.”

“I wonder why,” he says, his voice sour.

“There was one avatar already taken when we joined the game,” Luke says. “Could he still be around? Like, still in the game?”

Willie’s lips press together. It’s a second before he shakes his head. “Nah. It must have been a glitch.”

“So what are you?” Reggie asks. “If you’re not a computer character, what are you?”

“I’m like you guys. I’m a real person who got sucked into the game. But I’m here on a more permanent basis. I can’t leave.”

Luke, Reggie, and Alex exchange glances, but none of them press. An undercurrent of fear runs through them at the thought of being stuck here forever. Luke glances at Willie’s arm and notices that he doesn’t have any death tattoos. Maybe since he’s part of the game permanently he can’t die.

“So what are your names?” Willie asks. “I mean, your real names. I know what your characters are.”

“I’m Luke.”

“I’m Alex.”

“I’m Reggie.”

Willie squints at Reggie. “I thought you were a boy, but I wasn’t quite sure. So, how’d you get trapped in the game?”

Alex tells the story, talking about their band and how they were going to play the Orpheum. Willie frowns at the name but doesn’t say anything. When Alex is finished, Willie looks pleased.

“I’m so glad you guys are teenagers like me,” he says. “The last group was a bunch of middle-aged parents. They were worried about their kids playing video games and wanted to see what all the hype was about. Got a lot more than they bargained for.”

“Those poor kids,” Reggie laments. “After their parents got out, they probably didn’t let them near a screen ever again.”

“Probably.” Willie smacks the table top with his hands. “Listen, I know my way around the game pretty well. I’ll get you guys some rooms here for the night and then maybe tomorrow I can show you around, give you guys some tips?”

“That would be great!” Luke says. “We’ve figured out some stuff already, but not much.”

“It’s no problem. I like getting to meet new people.” He flashes them all a quick smile. It doesn’t escape Luke’s notice that he seems to smile a lot - maybe a bit too much. “Just tell the guy behind the bar that I sent you and he’ll get you a room. Then I’ll meet you down here tomorrow whenever you wake up.”

“We’ve already talked to the guy at the bar. He only has a couple of responses.”

Willie is already standing. “My name’s like a cheat code. Trust me. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He weaves through the crowd and is lost in seconds.

“Poor guy,” Reggie says. “Can you imagine being stuck in here permanently?”

“No kidding,” Luke agrees. “I think he’s going a little -” He spins his pointer finger around the side of his head.

“As long as he can help us escape,” Alex says. “But I think he knows more than he’s telling.”

“He seems super helpful. He probably just didn’t want to overwhelm us tonight. I’m sure he’ll tell us everything tomorrow.”

-

“You okay, honey?”

Julie pauses her fork mid-twirl, the noodles slowly sliding back down onto her plate. She looks over at her dad.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Why?”

“You just seem quieter than normal.”

“A welcome change,” Carlos mumbles under his breath. Their dad shoots him a warning look before turning back to her.

“Yeah, Flynn and I just had a fight today. We’ll be alright, but still.”

Her dad sets down his silverware and turns his full attention on her. “You had a fight? What about?”

“I talked to Mrs. Harrison after class and I think I might take the next semester off of music. I think I need some more time before I’m ready to play again. Flynn is worried that we won’t be friends if we’re not in the music program together.”

“That’s silly. A class doesn’t define your friendship.”

“I know. She just works herself up about things sometimes. Like I said, we’ll be fine.” Julie has her fork almost all the way up to her mouth when the front door opens. In a flash, Julie grabs the empty plate at the empty seat of the table, Carlos nabs the silverware, and her dad takes the glass. 

By the time her _tía_ reaches the kitchen, there’s no sign of the empty place they always set for the missing member of their family.

“Spaghetti again?” Tía shakes her head. “Here, I brought some real home cooking. I won’t let my niece and nephew starve while I’m breathing.”

“Thank you,” the three of them say at once. Tía sets the two glass containers in the fridge and walks over. Her eyes fall to the empty seat. 

“Looks like you guys are doing better.” She nods approvingly.

“We are,” Julie’s dad says, smiling. “Julie is actually working on cleaning out the studio.”

“Really?” Tía reaches down and squeezes her shoulder. “I’m glad to hear it.” She looks over at Carlos and says, “And how about you?”

Carlos grins. “I scored two goals in my soccer game today. It was awesome! I mean, the team lost, but I still did well.”

“ _Muy bien_. I’m so proud of you all.” Tía shoots Carlos an air-kiss and leans down to kiss the top of Julie’s head. “I can’t stay long, I have my pilates tonight, but I just wanted to stop by and see how things were going. I’ll see you all on Sunday, _¿sí?_ ”

“ _Sí_ ,” their dad replies. They all wave as she makes her way back out again. Julie releases a breath and pulls the plate out from under her sweatshirt. Carlos sets the silverware back on the table. They turn back to their dinner.

“Hey, Dad?” Carlos asks.

“Yes?”

“Since Julie’s quitting music, can I quit math?”

“Haha. Nice try.” He points his fork at his son. “Not gonna work.”

Carlos glances over at Julie and shrugs. “You can only try.”

“Hey, let’s not...tell your aunt that you’re quitting the music program until you know for sure,” her dad says. “I don’t know if she would understand.”

Julie nods in agreement. Her aunt has done nothing but take care of them since her sister’s death, but sometimes she can be a bit overbearing. Still, she’s family and none of them would be doing as well as they’re doing right now if it wasn’t for her.

After dinner, Julie heads back out to the garage to do some more cleaning. She puts the Sunset Curve CD back in the player as she works. It only takes a full round through the CD before she finishes the bottom area of the studio.

She climbs up the ladder to the loft. She’s never been up here before. When her parents first moved in here, there was a lot of stuff left from the last occupants. Her parents had piled it up here in case they came back for it. They never did, and over the years her parents always said they’d get rid of it and then never did.

Julie begins to sort through it now. She pulls a sheet off a large, strange-shaped lump to find a fully intact drum set. Other than some cobwebs and dust, it seems to be in pretty good shape. She taps the crash cymbal with her fingertip before moving on.

Two black sheath cases reveal a pure white electric guitar and a white and red bass guitar. Amps for both are hidden in the dark corners of the loft. Julie also finds a hard case with a tan acoustic guitar.

She runs her fingers over the cold enamel. She always wanted to learn guitar. If her mother hadn’t….Well, she probably would have learned one day. Julie zips the cases up and leaves the instruments where she found them.

A half-size wardrobe with three shelves is filled with clothes. Julie pulls out a few to see that they belonged to teenage boys. No wonder the garage was such a mess when her parents came here.

Still, Julie can’t imagine why anyone would leave a bunch of instruments and clothes. The instruments, at least, aren’t cheap. What could have happened to make their owners forget?

Underneath the clothes in the top drawer she finds a worn journal. Tabs stick out the top and a few of the pages are dog-eared. Lyrics with chords and a few scattered notes are scratched on the brittle pages with black ink. The handwriting is so atrocious that Julie can only read about half of it. She skims through quickly, noticing that most of the songs are about living in the present, living life to the fullest, and taking advantage of the opportunities given. They’re all very upbeat and positive. Some of the lyrics sound familiar enough that she wonders if they’re copied from someone else.

The only one that gives her pause is a song titled “Unsaid Emily.” The lyrics _If you could only know/ I never let you go/ And the words I most regret/ Are the ones I never meant to leave/ Unsaid Emily_ give her pause. It was obviously written about a girl the writer was smitten with, probably an ex who he was still in love with, but Julie feels like it could apply to how she feels about her mom. It wasn’t until after she died that Julie realized there was so much she wanted her to know. 

Julie never talked to her mother as much as she did in the first few weeks after she died.

The pain rises up again in her chest and she shuts the book, slipping it back into the wardrobe. She sorts through the rest of the belongings quickly - a couple backpacks with various items, an old pizza box (that she promptly throws away), and a couple pairs of shoes. She straightens up some of the personal belongings but otherwise leaves them. Going through someone else’s stuff feels weird, even if they’re long gone.

The last thing Julie finds is an old TV on a cart with a few video game controllers. It has to be at least twenty years old but when she plugs it in the screen lights up. She ejects the disc and finds a video game already inserted.

Sitting back against one of the backpacks, she picks up a controller and starts. Julie has never been into video games other than the occasional rounds with her brother, but for some reason she feels drawn to this game. Maybe an hour of immersing herself in another world will help distract her from her own pain.

The game starts. She scrolls over the avatars, surprised to find that four of the six are darkened. She settles on the last female avatar left, a woman named Rebecca Cho. Her speed, endurance, and strength stats are average and her abilities include cartography, nature, and medical. It doesn’t sound too exciting, but it’s better than the last alternative, a white guy named Brad with mountain climbing abilities.

She clicks to start the game. The sun must finally be going down because the garage darkens. She hears what sounds like insects chirping right next to her and when she looks around, she’s standing in the middle of a rainforest.

“Huh?”

She spins in a circle, looking around for her controller. It’s gone. She looks down at her outfit, a khaki one-piece jumpsuit with a belt and a wide-brim hat. She has a pack slung over her back and a foot-long canister slung through one of her belt-loops. She pops it open to find a rolled up map inside.

A hissing to her left causes her to look over and scrabble backward a few steps in surprise as she sees the ugly snake coiled up way too close to her. She reaches into her pocket for her cell phone, only to realize with a surge of panic that she doesn’t have it anymore.

The sound of an engine cuts through the haze of her panic. She turns to see a caged vehicle pulling up beside her with a squeal of the brakes. The man driving, an old man with a white beard, leans over and cranks the window down.

“Get in!” he calls out. “I’ll explain along the way.”

The last thing Julie wants is to get into the car but she doesn’t see any other options. Any sign of civilization has to be better than being stuck in the jungle. She climbs in the front seat and slams the door shut. The man hits the accelerator and the car jumps forward with a jolt.

“Where am I?” she asks, holding tightly onto the side of the vehicle.

The man turns to look at her. “Welcome to Jumanji, Rebecca Cho.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All rights belong to the creators and writers of Julie and the Phantoms (2020). I take no credit, and I do not mean to break any copyright rules. This is simply a work of fiction made for enjoyment. No money is being made.
> 
> Rating: K+
> 
> Author's Note: And Julie meets the boys! Tbh, I have no idea how long this fic is going to end up being. Right now it's looking like it might be well over the 100k mark. This is probably the most fun I've had writing a fic in forever so we'll see what happens!

**Chapter 4**

It takes Julie seven tries to make it to the village.

“A group of archeologists and adventurers chasing an old legend stumbled upon Jumanji five years ago,” the white-haired man in the vehicle explained as he drove. “They were searching for the Eye of Jur’ok, a mythical emerald the size of a football. They found it in the statue of Jur’ok, a sacred place for the natives living here. The natives warned them of a curse that would befall them should they steal the gemstone, so the group documented their findings and turned to go home. But one man in the group, a clever, cruel man named Caleb Covington, slipped away in the night and stole the gemstone. I managed to steal the stone from him in the middle of the night and I hid it. Now it’s up to you and the rest of your team to find the gem and return it to the statue to break the curse.”

“Is the curse me being stuck in a life-like video game?” Julie had asked. “Because this is _not_ cool!”

The man carried on as if he hadn’t heard a word she said. “In order to complete your quest, you will have to cross Jumanji. There are many dangers in your path. Caleb Covington knows you’re here and he will send his men to try and stop you. Your best chance of success is to work together with the rest of your team. You all have unique abilities that are necessary to defeat Caleb and return the stone.”

“Uh, I don’t have a team. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but it’s just me! And I’m not even good at video games anyway!”

Once again, the man talked as if he didn’t hear a word she said. “You, Rebecca Cho, are the team’s cartographer. Your map will lead the way. Just remember: Return the jewel to end the curse. If you wish to leave the game, save Jumanji and call out it’s name.”

He’d driven to the end of the forest and stopped the car at the edge of a plain. “For all of our sakes,” he’d said, “I hope you succeed. The fate of Jumanji is in your hands!”

Before Julie could protest, he’d driven away and left her alone.

With nothing better to do, Julie set off. On her first try, she made it half-way across the plain before stepping into a snake-hole and getting bitten in the ankle. Before she could fully register the pain, she was falling from the sky back onto the grass. A black line across her wrist marked her death.

“Okay,” she said, talking to herself. “A tally mark means a death. Makes sense.”

She set off again. Her second death came after she stopped to drink water by a stream. Apparently the water was bad because her stomach lurched painfully and a minute later she fell from the sky again, a second tally mark on her arm.

Her third death came in the forest when she tried to climb a tree to get a better view and slipped. That was the most painful of her deaths.

Instead of falling from the sky again, a message floated through the air in front of her: **START OVER?** Or **EXIT GAME?**

She clicked on **START OVER** and once again she’s in the rainforest. The white-haired man drove by, picked her up, and gave her the same spiel before dropping her off on the edge of the plains.

Julie plays for a few hours. She has to start over once more. By the third time she starts over, she tries a new strategy.

“I’m the cartographer,” she reasons to herself. “Maybe I should be using my map.”

She pulls it out of the canister and holds it out. A blue dot blinks by the edge of a plain and she realizes it’s marking her position. She sees the plain stretch out that she’d crossed and the forest and the stream. A faint yellow line lights up, marking a path to a cluster of buildings a third of the way across the map. There are three blinking green dots together in what looks like one of the buildings and a fourth that blinks twice before disappearing off the map. She rubs her eyes but it’s gone.

As grateful as she is for the map, she’s shocked by the vast size of Jumanji. Only about a third of the map is visible; the other two sections are covered in clouds and blurry. Maybe she has to get closer before they reveal themselves. Maybe the cluster of buildings is a check-point.

Julie sets off again, and this time she pays attention to both the map and her surroundings. After she clears the second forest, the map gives her a short detour to a small hut in the middle of nowhere. Inside the half-collapsed hut she finds a caged vehicle not unlike the one the white-bearded man was driving. Driving it is easy and she makes great time afterwards.

Julie has no idea how long she’s been in the game when she reaches the end of the yellow trail. She parks her vehicle on the outskirts of the village and heads in on foot, her eyes roaming around. She stops to ask a random woman a question and in a robotic voice the woman sends her in the direction of a tavern.

Stepping into the tavern is like stepping into a whole other world. Jumanji as she’s seen it so far has been incredibly sparse, but this place is packed. Dozens of people bob up and down and dance around a stage on the far wall. Julie can’t see the stage but she can definitely hear the alt-rock music that vibrates through the air and up her body through the floor. 

Her throat is incredibly dry - she hadn’t dared drink from a stream after being poisoned the first time - and she heads to the bar. The server, who speaks with the same robotic voice as the woman, slides her a drink. She downs it in one big gulp and gets another.

A few of the people milling around are speaking with one another either with voices or via chat boxes. Strange usernames like the ones her brother and his friends use bob over their heads, and not all their avatars are dressed to fit in this world like hers. She wonders if they’re somehow linking up to the game from online instead of a DVD like her. But how would that be possible?

_It’s not any less possible than being sucked physically into the game,_ she reasons to herself. She taps on the shoulder of one of the guys in the crowd. He turns to her.

“Hey!” she shouts over the music. 

“Hi!” he calls back. Despite the fact that his avatar looks like a thirty year old man, his voice sounds like it belongs to an eleven year old. Great.

“Can you help me?” she asks. “I’m trapped in this game!”

“Me too!” he replies. Hope flutters to life in her chest.

“Really?”

“Yeah! Isn’t it so addicting! I’ve been here for hours!”

Julie’s hopes wither away. “No, I mean I’m _literally_ trapped in the game,” she says. 

“You trying virtual reality? I wanted to so bad but my mom wouldn’t let me! She said it would kill all my brain cells or something stupid.”

Julie resists the urge to face-palm. Of course this is what she should expect, talking to an eleven year old boy.

Before she can ask anything else, his avatar flickers. She hears shouting in the background and the boy says, “I got to go! My mom’s making me go outside. Have fun!”

His avatar disappears and Julie is left by herself again. She finds an empty table and takes a seat, pulling out her map. She thought a new path might show itself once she made it to the village but there’s no path in sight. Just her blue dot and the three green dots nearly on top of her.

Wait. The green dots. They probably mean something, right? Why else would the map show them? And if they’re right on top of her, it probably means that whatever they signify is in this tavern with her.

The white-bearded man had mentioned something about the others on her team. Maybe she has to find them before continuing on with the mission.

She rolls up her map and secures it in the canister again before standing up. She winds through the throbbing crowd, asking people questions. Most are online players like the first guy she talked to and a few are NPCs. 

Julie’s hopes fade once she makes it through the entire crowd. She’d talked to everyone. She assumes the others from her team are computer characters, but no one had anything more to say than, “Isn’t the band great?” or something along those lines.

Julie leans against the bar and listens to the music. The song sounds familiar and she swears she’s heard it before. It’s probably a mainstream hit that the video game designers paid a bunch of royalties for. Or maybe it was one of the few rare video game songs that became popular.

_Take off, last stop  
Countdown ‘til we blast open the top  
Face first, full charge,  
Electric hammer to the heart_

_Clocks move forward  
But we don’t get older, no  
Kept on climbing  
‘Till our stars collided  
All the times we fell behind  
Were just the keys to paradise_

_Don’t look down  
‘Cause we’re still rising  
Up right now  
And even if we hit the ground  
We’ll still fly  
Keep dreaming like we’ll live forever  
But live it like it’s now or never_

The main singer’s voice is pretty good and the instruments are well played. The song feels like it’s missing a part - a rhythm guitar part, maybe? She especially likes the bridge:

_We ain’t searching for tomorrow  
‘Cause we got all we need today  
Living on a feeling that’s been running through our veins  
We’re the revolution that’s been singing in the rain_

The band repeats the chorus and then finishes the song. She can’t see the band through the crowd, but she hears the lead singer’s voice as he says, “Thank you all for coming! We’re Sunset Curve, tell your friends.”

The crowd thins out, both computer characters and online players dispersing either to the tables or outside. Julie finally gets her first look at the band.

The lead singer is a guy in his thirties with brown hair and day old stubble. The sleeves of his cargo shirt are ripped off and he has a bandana tied around his left bicep - a fairly large bicep that flexes with every little movement. He’s ruggedly handsome in an action movie star kind of way.

The bass player is a woman with fiery red hair and an Amazonian body - tall with lean muscles and curves in all the right places. She wears a white crop top showing off her abs and short cargo bottoms with rolled up hems revealing legs most girls would die to have.

The drummer is a short, heavy-set man with a permanent squint wearing a beige button-up shirt tucked into cargo pants. His chubby cheeks are flushed red. He takes off his hat to reveal a premature balding spot on the top of his head as he uses the edge of his sleeve to wipe sweat away.

Julie isn’t sure what she finds more confusing - the strange make-up of the band or the fact that, in a strange video game set in a jungle country in the early twentieth century there’s a rock band. 

Then she remembers that she’s trapped in a video game and decides that there’s not much more about her new reality that can surprise her.

The band comes off the stage and towards her. At first she thinks they might speak to her but they go directly to the bar without a second glance her way. Of course. Computer characters.

She wonders what scripted lines they have for her. Maybe a hint as to what her next step is?

“That music wasn’t bad,” she says, leaning closer to the lead singer. “A bit unoriginal, but not bad.”

He turns on her with a life-like quality that she wasn’t expecting. “Did you just call our music a ‘bit unoriginal?’”

“I’m pretty sure I’ve heard that song somewhere before. Or at least one similar enough. But you did a good cover.”

The red-haired woman walks over in front of her. “We’re not a cover band, and that is just _very_ insulting.” 

Julie raises her hands in defense, taken aback by the murderous expression in the woman’s eyes. “Sorry. I didn’t realize it would be so offensive.”

“Really?” The first guy raises his eyebrows. He’s got a hurt look on his face that de-ages him by about ten years. “I mean, that was our music that you’re making rude comments about. Did you think it wouldn’t hurt?”

“I just didn’t think the video game designers would put so much depth into a group of NPCs. It’s almost like I’m having a real conversation.”

“Wait.” The third guy, the chubby one, steps forward. “What did you just say?”

“I said it felt like we’re almost having a real conversation.”

“No, before that.”

“...that the video game designers wouldn’t make NPCs so realistic?” Julie glances between the three of them. Compared to the other characters she’s encountered, their expression and motions are so much more realistic. Almost life-like.

The red-haired woman’s jaw drops. The two men glance at each other and then back at her.

“You’re real, aren’t you?” the handsome guy says. 

“Uh, yeah.” Julie crosses her arms. “You are, too? I thought you guys were computer characters. You don’t have funky usernames hovering over your heads and you’re actually dressed like you’re part of the game.”

“Dude!” The woman grins. On her face, it somehow looks terrifying. “We’re not alone!”

“This is the best news we’ve heard in weeks, boys!” the handsome guy smiles back at her and then at Julie. He shakes his head once. “I thought we were going to be alone forever.”

The third man grabs both of their arms. Unlike them, he isn’t smiling. “Seriously, guys? How is this good news? It means she’s stuck here like us. Another victim.”

All the smiles fade. Then all eyes turn to her. 

Julie feels her frustration building up. “Okay, what’s going on here?” she demands. She stalks over to the nearest table and pulls out the chairs, motioning vigorously. “Take a seat and start talking.”

They all do as she says without argument. 

“We just wanted to do something to burn off some stress,” the lead singer begins. He nods at the woman. “Reggie here found this game in a box. We plugged it in and got sucked in.”

“Reggie?” Julie repeats, glancing at the woman.

“Yeah.” Her face turns red. “I’m actually a guy.”

“And I’m actually skinny,” the pudgy guy says. “And I have blond hair. And I’m taller than they are.”

Julie glances to the middle guy, who shrugs. “I don’t think my avatar is too different from my real self.”

The others immediately elbow him in the ribs. He groans slightly, though she notices the other two rubbing their elbows and frowning.

“My name is Luke,” the lead singer says. “You already know Reggie, and this is Alex.”

“I’m Julie.” She pauses and adds, “And I’m not really Asian. Or twenty five years old. I’m actually still in high school.”

“Us too!” Reggie exclaims. His face falls. “Well, we would be if we didn’t drop out. Or get stuck in this video game.”

“So how long have you been here?” Julie asks. 

The lead singer counts on his fingers. “About a month, I think. I kinda stopped counting after the first two weeks.”

“A month?” Julie’s eyebrows shoot up. “Oh, no. That can’t happen. I need to get out of here now. My dad is going to freak! I’ve already been in here for hours!”

“Hours?” Alex asks, leaning forward. “It only took you hours to get here?”

“Yeah. And that was after dying a few times.”

The boys - well, boys in spirit - glance at each other. When they look at her, their eyes are dead serious.

“How many times did you die?” Luke asks. He glances at her arm. “I don’t see any marks.”

“I died three times on my first try, three times on my second try, and now I’m on my third try and I haven’t died yet.” She cowers a bit under their expressions. “What?”

All three hold out their arms across the table. She sees two black tallies on each of their wrists.

“We’ve all died twice,” Alex says. “Willie said that - ”

“Who’s Willie?”

“He’s another person stuck here with us,” Reggie explains. “He’s been here a long time. He helps everyone through. He said we can die two times without consequences. After the third time, he’s not sure what happens.”

“I died three times and it just gave me the option to exit the game or to restart.” A thought suddenly occurs to her. “Oh my gosh! I’m so stupid! I’m not stuck here! I just have to kill myself three times and then exit the game.”

The boys once again trade looks. None of them share her optimism.

“I think you should talk to Willie before you do that,” Alex says. “What if exiting the game actually means…”

“Exiting life?” Reggie finishes. Luke smacks him. “Ow! What was that for?”

“Terrible bedside manner.” Luke turns back to Julie. “Willie’s taught us a lot. We’ll teach you what we know. Then we can ask him before we do anything stupid.”

“Why not just restart the game?” Julie asks. “I restarted twice.”

“Do you have idea how long it took us to get here the first time?” Reggie asks. “And it was not fun at all. Besides, we got a good gig here. As long as we stay in the tavern, Caleb can’t send any assassins after us. The tavern is a safe place.”

“Assassins?”

“Yeah. Caleb - the big boss we have to beat - has a bunch of men at his disposal, including assassins. We were attacked when we were wandering around. Willie said that the tavern is like a game lobby where people can take a break from the game. Ever since we lost all but our last lives, we’ve been hiding out here.”

“So you gave up one beating the game,” Julie says. “Then it’s your own fault you’ve been here for a month.”

“It’s not that simple,” Luke says. “Like we said, we don’t know what happens when you lose your last life. If it were as simple as being able to restart, I’m sure Willie would have told us.”

“So what do you know?” Julie asks. She’s about a minute away from running outside and screaming out for the assassins to get her so she can reach the option to exit the game, but she feels bad about leaving them behind. These boys are obviously terrified of losing their last life and she doesn’t want to leave them here forever.

“We know how to see our character stats and health. Look.” Alex waves his hand in front of his face. A pop-up box shimmers into life:

_Chet Livingston  
Strength: 3/5  
Speed: 3/5  
Endurance: 3/5  
Abilities: Zoologist, Tracking, Nature_

He swipes his hand back and it disappears.

Luke is next. His reads:

_Arizona Johnson  
Strength: 5/5  
Speed: 5/5  
Endurance: 5/5  
Abilities: Leadership, Intelligence, Fighting  
Weakness: Water_

And then Reggie:

_Scarlet Fox  
Strength: 4/5  
Speed: 5/5  
Endurance: 4/5  
Abilities: Fighting, Gymnastics, Berserker Mode  
Weakness: Heights_

“Now you try,” Luke encourages.

Julie swipes in front of her. She laughs a little as she reads the stats she saw when she first picked her avatar:

_Rebecca Cho  
Strength: 3/5  
Speed: 3/5  
Endurance: 4/5  
Abilities: Cartographer, Nature, Medic_

“What’s a cartographer?” Reggie asks.

“It’s someone who’s good with maps,” Alex says.

“Is that how you got here so fast?” Luke asks. “‘Cause we definitely wandered around in circles for a week.”

“Yeah.” Julie reaches for her map but freezes when she sees a menu button on the side of her box. “Look, guys. There’s a menu button.”

“What does it say?”

She punches her finger forward in the air to press it. It opens and, among other things, she sees a _pause game_ option. She rolls her eyes at her - and their - obliviousness.

“Look! I can pause the game!”

Out of the corner of her eye she sees the other boys swiping at the air. There’s silence for a moment before Alex says, “I don’t have a menu option. Just the stats.”

“Me neither,” Luke agrees.

“Or me,” Reggie says.

“Why would only I have one?” Julie asks. “That’s weird.”

“If we don’t have menu buttons to control the game, then maybe we don’t get a restart or exit game option after our third death,” Alex says. The air between them instantly chills as everyone realizes what that means.

“So only Julie can control the game,” Luke says slowly. “That means we really are trapped here forever.”

“Maybe not.” All eyes turn to Reggie. “If we still beat the game, maybe it will spit us out back in the real world.”

“But we don’t have any lives to spare,” Luke points out. “One more death and we don’t know what happens.”

“But maybe Julie’s controls work for all of us,” Alex says. “Maybe the game sent her to us to help us.”

“Why would the game be a sentient being?” Reggie asks. “Even if it was, it would be evil for doing this to us in the first place.”

“Maybe it’s sick of hearing you complain,” Luke retorts, earning another elbow jab.

“I know I am,” Alex agrees.

“Guys!” Julie raises her voice and they all fall silent. “I have no idea how this works. I have no idea how any of this works. I don’t want to give you false hope.”

“Right now, we have no hope,” Luke says, his eyes meeting hers. The intensity in them makes her face grow hot. “We have to try something, Julie. Otherwise we’re stuck here forever. I don’t want to die here.”

“He’s right,” Reggie agrees, for once serious.

“Can you try?” Alex asks. “Can you try to restart the game?”

“What if I restart but it’s only me?” Julie asks. She doesn’t buy into this like the others. She’s not entirely sure this isn’t all just some strange dream. “Would we have to have this whole conversation again, only for you to realize that you have to risk losing your last life or stay in this tavern until you grow old?”

“At least then we’ll know the truth. Please, Julie.” 

Julie vaguely wonders if Luke is really this convincing in real life or if it’s just the attractiveness of his avatar. She reminds herself that none of them really look like this.

“Okay. But first I’m going to try pausing it.”

Before they can protest, Julie punches in the air at the _pause game_ option. The words light up briefly before everything turns black.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All rights belong to the creators and writers of Julie and the Phantoms (2020). I take no credit, and I do not mean to break any copyright rules. This is simply a work of fiction made for enjoyment. No money is being made.
> 
> Rating: K+

**Chapter 5**

The alarm grows louder until Julie can’t stand it anymore. She rolls over, grabs her phone and, half-blind with sleep, taps the alarm off. She lays back down on her bed for a moment before rolling out.

Her entire body is sore, as if she’d had back-to-back gym classes. Her neck aches especially and she rolls it around a few times. She can’t remember what she did to make it hurt so much.

Her head pounds and spins as she throws on clothes and heads down the stairs. She’s still rubbing at her eyes when she walks in the kitchen to see her dad and Carlos sitting at the table and eating. Her dad has a newspaper in front of him and Carlos is watching something on his iPad.

“Good morning,” her dad says, smiling a bit.

“Not good morning,” she groans, reaching out for a bowl and the box of cereal. “I must have slept in a weird position.”

“I did find you out in the garage,” her dad says. “You were fast asleep on a pile of junk in the loft. I carried you in but you didn’t wake up.”

At the mention of the loft, memories start trickling back. They’re hazy, and Julie can’t quite grasp at them. “Huh.”

“I don’t have anything against you sleeping in the studio, but I would prefer if you closed the doors at least. And it would probably be more comfortable to use the pull-out couch. It would be terrible to wake up with a raccoon curled up next to you.”

“Ew.” Julie wrinkles her nose. “Don’t say things like that.”

Carlos looks up and laughs. “I would pay to see that.” His eyes suddenly widen. “What if I got it on video? You waking up next to a raccoon? I could probably send it to America’s Funniest Home Videos and get some extra pocket cash!”

“Yeah, no.” Their dad leans over and ruffles his hair. “We’re not selling each other for money.”

“I have an even better idea,” Julie says, leaning in close to her brother. “We sell Carlos to Abuela as a slave. Then we get money _and_ we don’t have to deal with him!”

Carlos sticks out his tongue at her and she reciprocates. Their father sighs. He lifts his newspaper back up and blocks them out.

By the time Julie is on the bus to school, the memories in her mind are starting to solidify. They’re so crazy she can’t quite connect them to reality, though. When Flynn gets on and sits next to her, apparently a frown is splayed across her face.

“What’s wrong?” Flynn asks. “You look like you just learned you’re allergic to chocolate.”

“I had the weirdest dream last night.” Julie shakes her head. “Nightmare, actually. It had to be a dream but it felt so real.”

“I know how you feel! One time I dreamt I was at a Beyoncé concert and she invited me up on stage to sing with her. It felt as real as my heartbreak when I broke up.”

Julie doesn’t know what to say. She’s sure her dream is even more realistic. The pain of dying sure felt real, and her body is stiff enough to prove it.

Instead she turns her mind to their fight yesterday. 

“Hey, Flynn. Are we good?”

Flynn sighs and looks away. Julie rarely ever sees her so sad.

“Yeah. I just - I just can’t believe I won’t see you in music class every day. Who else is going to make fun of Carrie with me? Everyone else idolizes her.”

“We’ll still make fun of her,” Julie promises. “You’ll just have to tell me what she does.”

“It won’t be the same.”

No, it won’t. But Julie learned the hard way that nothing ever stays the same. Especially not the things that matter most, or that seem permanent.

The school day goes by excruciatingly slow. Julie’s mind keeps drifting to her strange nightmare. A nagging feeling at the back of her mind keeps her from fully dismissing it. She finds it hard to focus on her teachers and even her friends. She’s beyond relieved when she finally gets home.

She runs straight to the garage, not even bothering to drop her backpack off in the kitchen. She tosses it to the couch and scales the steps to the loft. The old TV is there, the controller sitting innocently on the floor. A sense of dread washes over her but she pushes it away and clicks on the TV.

A black screen with two options presents itself to her: **RESUME GAME** or **RESTART GAME**. She hits the former and braces.

Everything around her shifts. One moment she’s in the loft. The next moment she’s sitting at a table in the tavern, Luke, Alex, and Reggie’s avatars staring at her.

“You’re still here?” she demands, trying to play off her disorientation. It wasn’t a nightmare, after all.

“What do you mean, still here?” Reggie asks. “You just said you were going to try to pause the game!”

“And I did. And then I woke up and went to school and came back.” Julie pauses. “Wait...did time pause in the game for you when I paused it?”

“It must have,” Alex says. Then his face brightens. “You realize what this means, right? You can control the game, Julie. And not just for yourself.”

Luke’s face breaks out in a wide smile. He wraps his arms around the guys and draws them close. “We’re getting out of here, boys!” 

They laugh and yell, their exaltations splitting the air. The NPCs pay them no mind and the online players - not many of them currently in the room - only glance at them slightly before returning to their conversations.

“I never thought I’d love a girl,” Alex says, “But I love you, Julie.”

She doesn’t quite share their joy. “We’re not out of this yet,” she says. “We still have to beat the game. It could take a while.”

“But we will eventually. And that’s what matters.” Luke grins at her. “And it’s all because of you.”

Julie had definitely thought the way he looked at her was part of her dream but apparently not. She presses her lips together and turns away. She reminds herself that he’s probably ugly in real life and she’s only overthinking it because of how his avatar looks.

“Okay, guys,” she says. “If we’re going to do this, we’re going to do it the right way. We all have lives to get back to.” She pulls out her map from the canister and spreads it across the table. “How far did you get when you tried?”

Alex points to a landmark about as far from the village as the game’s starting point was. “We went through that temple, but it was one of the first places we saw.”

“Seriously?”

“We got really turned around,” Luke confesses. “We didn’t have a map.”

“Or any sense of direction,” Reggie adds.

Even as they talk, the map lights up with a yellow path leading to the temple. Luke and Reggie both say, “Whoah” in sync as they see it.

“That marks where we should go. If we just follow that path it will eventually lead us to Caleb.”

“We have to get the gem first, remember?” Alex says. “Maybe the gem is hidden in the temple.”

“The temple that you already explored?”

“More like triggered every booby trap,” Reggie corrects. “We were still pretty freaked out when we went through it.”

“Okay. So we go to the temple and get the gem. Then we wait to see where the map leads us next.” Julie rolls it up and tucks it back in the canister. “What are we waiting for?”

“There’s still one little matter,” Alex says.

“I wouldn’t exactly call it little,” Reggie says.

“What?”

Luke holds out his arm palm up. “We don’t have any more lives to lose. If you can restart the game, maybe it will reset our death count.”

“Death count is such a morbid way to phrase it,” Reggie says, wincing. “Maybe we can call it something else?”

Everyone ignores him. Julie swipes the air in front of her and selects the menu.

“Okay, guys,” she says. “You ready?”

They all nod.

She punches the _restart game_ option.

Everything spins wildly. When the world calms down again, Julie and the boys are standing in the rainforest. Julie hears the hiss of the snake and then a curse from Reggie.

“I forgot about that!” he cries.

“Hey!” Alex shouts. “I got my glasses back! I can see again!”

The caged vehicle with the old man appears. He leans over, cranks the window down, and shouts for them to get in. They climb in, Julie and Luke both heading for the shotgun seat. Their hands touch when grabbing the door handle and they pause, staring at each other for a moment.

“Just get in the back, Luke!” Reggie yells. “Have some manners!”

“Uh, sorry,” he blurts out before climbing in the back. Julie shakes her head and gets in the front. The old man drives them recklessly through the forest, once again giving the same spiel about the gem and the curse and Caleb.

Julie’s map once again leads them to the caged vehicle hidden in the hut. She’s quick to claim the driver’s seat. Luke climbs in shogun and Reggie and Alex pile in the back.

“Dude, this is so much easier than last time,” Reggie says, leaning back.

They follow the map to the village. Julie plans on just driving through but Alex leans forward and shouts, “Stop!”

She hits the brake and they squeal to a stop. Reggie flies forward and bangs his head on the back of Julie’s seat.

“What is it?” Luke asks.

Alex is already out of the vehicle. Julie orders Reggie to stay with it before she and Luke jump out and follow Alex to the porch of the tavern. Julie sees that he’s talking with a guy with long black hair.

“This is Willie,” Alex says when Julie gets closer. “Willie, meet Julie.”

Willie’s eyes flicker with surprise when he sees her. Then he breaks out in a friendly smile. “Nice to meet you, Julie. Or should I say, Dr. Cho.”

“You know the avatars?”

He shrugs. “I help all the people that come through here. Or try to, at least.”

“So it’s true. You really are stuck inside the game permanently.” Julie feels her heart swell in pity. “What happened?”

He shakes his head. “It’s a long story, and not one of my favorites to tell.” He turns to Alex. “You didn’t tell me there was another person with you.”

“She wasn’t. We just met her last night.”

Another expression of surprise flickers on Willie’s face before he covers it. This time, Alex and Luke both notice.

“What is it?” Luke asks.

“As long as I’ve been here, that’s never happened. The groups are always fixed with whoever enters together.”

“Maybe it’s because we didn’t have a full group,” Alex suggests. “The game still had room for her.”

“Maybe.” Willie doesn’t look convinced. “So, are you guys really going to try? Even with only one life?”

Luke grins and brandishes his arm. “No, man. We have three lives again. Julie has the power to restart the game. We can try as many times as we have to.”

Willie looks over at Julie, his eyes searching. Although he seems friendly enough, she feels uncomfortable with the way he’s looking at her. Almost like she’s some sort of experiment he’s trying to draw conclusions from.

“That’s good for you guys,” he says, a false note to his voice. “I wish you all the best of luck.”

Alex clasps his hand. “Thanks. You sure you don’t want to come along with us?”

“Nah. I’m good here. I’ll miss hearing all the music, though.”

“We’ll miss seeing you around,” Luke says. He steps up and shakes Willie’s hand as well. “Thanks for all the help.”

“Of course.” Willie waves at them as they head back to the vehicle. Inside, Reggie is still clutching his head and grumbling to himself.

Julie has a bad feeling about Willie that she can’t quite place. She’s about to say something to the others but the way they look at him makes her hesitate. She’s only met Willie once and they’ve known him for weeks. He’s their friend. It’s not her place to make snap judgements.

“Hey, Julie?”

She glances over at Luke. “Yeah?”

“I was thinking....maybe I should drive. Since you’re the map person and all, it might be better if you concentrate on navigating.”

“Okay.” She switches sides with him. “I always sit in the front seat when my dad drives. He doesn’t like to look at his phone so I read off the directions to him.”

“His phone? Like a mobile phone?”

Julie gives him a strange look. “No, a mounted phone,” she says sarcastically.

Luke raises his hands in defense. “Sorry. Not all of us are rich enough to afford such luxuries.”

She frowns. “I mean, they’re expensive, but not that expensive.”

“That’s what all people who have never had to worry about money say,” Reggie sighs from the back. 

Julie ignores them and pulls out her map. “Okay. So we follow this road until it ends, and then we cross this large plain.”

“Just tell me when to turn,” Luke replies.

They pull away, going fast but not recklessly fast. As they ride, Alex begins hand drumming against his knees. Reggie begins humming. Luke smiles and joins in, adding a harmony.

The humming eventually turns into singing. It’s a lot of nonsense with scatting in between, but Julie finds herself nodding to the rhythm as they go. If she closes her eyes and ignores the jolts of the uneven road, she can almost pretend she’s on a road trip with friends.

“Still think we’re not that great?” Luke asks when they finish.

Julie shrugs, unwilling to rescind on her earlier judgement. “It’s okay.”

“Okay?” Reggie gasps in mock pain and clutches at his chest. “What kind of cruel music critic are you?”

“I’m not.” Julie glances back at her map. “We’ve got a while still on this road. I’m going to take a nap. Wake me up in a couple of hours.”

She sets her backpack against the window and leans her head against it, falling asleep to the sound of the boys singing absently.

-

“Hey, Julie.”

Julie shoots up, adrenaline rushing through her body. She whirls around only to find that she’s in the loft of the garage. Her dad is standing in front of her.

“You did it again.” He smiles. “C’mon. It’s dinnertime. And it’s not spaghetti, I promise.”

Julie glances back at the TV and the controller. The game must have kicked her out when she fell asleep. The boys will be okay without her for a few hours, right? 

“Well, if you say so,” she says and follows her dad back to the house. Carlos is already sitting at the table, clutching his knife and fork in his hands.

Julie glances at the clock on her phone. It’s only six o’clock, the usual time they eat dinner. How is that possible? She got home around three in the afternoon and she was definitely in the game with the boys for longer than that.

Maybe time runs differently in the game then in reality. Julie hopes so, because she has no idea how long it’s going to take them to complete it. Even if they don’t have to restart it could take a couple days. If they do have to restart, it could take them weeks.

“You’re pretty quiet tonight, Julie,” her dad says.

“Uh, yeah. I’m still waking up.” She gives him a smile. “It was a long day at school. A lot of boring classes.”

“Not boring. Educational. You’re expanding your mind. That’s something to be excited about!”

Across the table, Carlos shakes his head slowly. Julie covers her mouth with a hand to hide her laugh.

“Have you made a decision about your music?” he asks, turning seriously. Julie suddenly finds her food interesting.

“No.”

She hears her dad’s quiet exhale. “You’ve been spending so much time in the studio. I was starting to think…” he trails off. “Never mind. I don’t want you to feel like I’m pushing. Take your time.”

“If Julie does give up music, can we sell the piano and buy a new playstation?” Carlos asks.

“We’re not selling the piano. Maybe I want to learn to play it.”

Both Julie and Carlos share a laugh at that. Their dad looks offended. “What? You don’t think I can learn?”

“Of course we don’t think that, pappi.” Julie looks over at Carlos and they try to hide another laugh. “We’d just like to see you try.”

Their dad shakes his head. “I can’t wait until you have your own children one day and they’re as mean to you as you are to me. Then you’ll understand why we delegate all the chores to you. Like cleaning up the kitchen.”

“Dad, have I ever told you how much I love you?” Carlos asks, sitting up straight. “I love you more than - ”

“Not going to work.” Their dad stands and points to the dishes. “Have fun.”

“Well, I still think you’re the best dad in the world.” Julie wraps an arm around him and rests her head against his shoulder. 

“And you’re my favorite daughter.”

Now it’s his turn to laugh as she gives him a sour look. “That’s ‘cause I’m your only daughter.”

“And Carlos is my favorite son.”

Carlos shakes his head. “But I bet he won’t tell us who his favorite child is.”

Their dad holds up a hand. “Not so fast. My favorite child is whoever finishes the dishes first.”

Julie and Carlos share a look and roll their eyes. “That doesn’t work on us anymore. But nice try.”

The sound of his laughter follows as he disappears into the living room. Julie and Carlos do the dishes with a fair amount of bickering and splashing each other with water.

It’s nearly eight o’clock when Julie remembers she has to get back to the video game. She dries her hands off and rushes back out of the house, shouting over her shoulder that she’ll be in the garage.

The sooner she gets those boys out of the game the sooner she can return to her normal life.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All rights belong to the creators and writers of Julie and the Phantoms (2020). I take no credit, and I do not mean to break any copyright rules. This is simply a work of fiction made for enjoyment. No money is being made.
> 
> Rating: K+

**Chapter 6**

“Oh, thank the lord!”

Julie sits up, her body feeling stiff. She’s laying on the ground, her head resting against her pack. Standing directly overtop of her are Reggie, Luke, and Alex’s avatars.

“What’s going on?” she asks, glancing around. They’re in a forest clearing, the caged vehicle parked a few feet away. 

“You fell asleep and never woke up,” Alex says, crouching down and setting a hand on her shoulder. 

“We were worried you might never wake up,” Luke adds. The concern in his eyes makes Julie look away quickly.

“Yeah. That would have been pretty bad for you guys.”

Reggie, on her other side, frowns. “We care about you, Julie. If you fell asleep and never woke up, you’d be trapped in the game forever as well. It’d be almost like death.”

She climbs her feet and brushes her hands off. “So how long was I asleep?”

“A day.”

Julie shakes her head. “That can’t be right. My dad woke me up for dinner. I wasn’t even gone for two whole hours. And why didn’t the game pause when I left?”

“Maybe it only pauses when you actually pause it,” Alex suggests. “So if you fall asleep you can leave the game but it still continues for us and your body.”

She massages her forehead with her fingertips. “This is just...too weird.”

“You can say that again,” Reggie mutters. His face suddenly brightens. “While you were asleep, we made it to the end of the road. Then we recognized some landmarks from the first time we came to the temple, so we’re not too far right now. We also found some supplies in the vehicle.”

“What kind of supplies?”

“Rope, machetes, some food and water.”

“So. The temple.” Julie pulls out her map and spreads it out. True to Reggie’s word, the boys have gotten them nearly on top of the landmark on the map. “We think the gem is inside?”

“Something must be inside, else the map wouldn’t have led us here.” Luke grabs a machete and slides it through his belt. “You guys ready?”

“We survived this once,” Alex explains as they hike through the trees. “That’s where Luke first figured out a bunch of his avatar’s abilities. He’s really good at sensing and evading traps.”

“And there were some pretty nasty one in here,” Reggie says, shivering. “I almost got my head sliced off twice.”

Luke half-turns from his leading position. “And don’t forget the pit with the metal stakes on the bottom!”

“Yeah, wouldn’t want to forget that,” Alex mumbles.

They clear a patch of trees and the temple comes into view. It’s a large stone structure, now mostly crumbling and covered in vines. It vaguely resembles an Aztec pyramid, though instead of all the sides sloping up into a singular point, the top is long and stretches out for a length. The base is then rectangular instead of square.

“So, tell us a little bit about yourself,” Reggie says as they walk to the base. 

“Um…”

Reggie grabs her arms and shakes her slightly. “Please, I haven’t had a conversation with an actual human besides these guys and Willie in a month. You can talk about literally anything.”

“Okay,” Julie says, laughing nervously. “I live with my family in Los Angeles - ”

“We’re from LA, too! What are the odds?” Reggie covers his mouth with a hand. “Sorry. I won’t interrupt again. I promise.”

“It’s fine. So I go to Los Feliz High School and our school mascot is a Bobcat. We sometimes have these spirit assemblies where the vice principal dresses up as the mascot and runs around. I think he thinks he’s cool but we all make fun of him.”

“I went to South Side High School before dropping out. Do you know of it?”

Julie shakes her head. “Never heard of it. Sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Alex says. “It was a dump.”

“Tell me about the popular mean girl in your school.” Reggie looks over at the guys. “Every school has a popular mean girl. Remember Candace Sonora?”

Both Alex and Luke moan in harmony. “She was the worst!”

“My school kind of has one mean girl per grade, but I think my grade’s girl takes the cake. Her name is Carrie.” A sort of sadness fills Julie as she remembers what Carrie was like when they were kids. She’s unrecognizable now. “Her dad is a super famous rockstar. They live in a massive mansion and have their own helicopter. She’s super spoiled and thinks that she’s better than everyone.”

“At least Candace wasn’t _that_ rich,” Luke says. “Her dad was the CEO of a canned foods company. She bragged about her money but not about fame.”

“Yeah.” Julie presses her lips together. “Carrie’s favorite activity is getting invites to all the Oscars and major music and fashion events and posting about it on Instagram.”

“Instagram?”

“Yeah. It’s pretty annoying.” Julie rolls her eyes. “She’s also dating this guy named Nick, who is actually super nice. He’s the only one who calls her out for being mean. I honestly don’t understand what he sees in her.”

“Oooh,” Reggie says, jabbing her lightly in the arm. “You like this Nick guy.”

“He’s nice,” Julie says, jumping instantly on the defensive. “When my - when I was going through a tough time, he was one of the only people who continued treating me like a real person. Him and my best friend, of course.”

They reach the bottom of the pyramid and start climbing. Luke assures them there’s no traps on the steps.

Although the boys stop asking her questions, Julie keeps talking. There’s something comforting about being able to talk to people you don’t know and you probably won’t see again. They're detached from your life enough to not have pre-existing expectations or assumptions, and if you come off as annoying or weird it doesn't matter.

“My best friend’s name is Flynn. She’s a good singer and rapper, though she hasn’t fully embraced it yet. She does a lot of local DJing.”

Alex trips on a step and curses. His avatar is the shortest of them all, even an inch shorter than Julie’s, and the stone steps are difficult. Reggie and Luke seem to have no issues and they stop a ways up to wait for the two of them.

“What about you guys?” Julie asks when she and Alex catch up. “All I know is that you’re in a band together and you’re from LA.”

“That’s about all there is to tell,” Reggie says. “Music was our entire lives. We gave up everything to chase our dream - we dropped out of school, left home.”

“We were going to play at the Orpheum on the night we got sucked into the game,” Alex says. “It was a sold out crowd.”

“The Orpheum?” Julie raises her eyebrows. “That’s huge. Panic! The Disco is playing there in a couple months.”

“Who’s Panic! At The Disco?” Reggie asks.

Julie actually stops and turns slowly to stare at him. “You’re kidding, right?”

All three boys shake their heads. 

“I’m sure you’d recognize their music if you heard it. It’s on the radio all the time.”

“Sing us part of one of their songs,” Luke says.

Julie shakes her head and continues climbing. “I don’t sing.”

“I think she’s just intimidated ‘cause we’re so good,” Reggie says. “It’s okay, Julie - we won’t judge you.”

“I’m still not singing.”

Luke stops them at the top of the temple. There’s a large doorway leading into darkness. Luke picks up a torch from the wall and Alex uses a couple stones to create a spark to light them.

“How’d you do that?” Julie asks, leaning over his shoulder.

He shrugs. “Part of my avatar’s nature abilities.”

Reggie grabs a second torch and brings up the rear as they enter the temple. Luke motions to a stone on the ground that’s a slightly different color than the others.

“If you like your face, don’t step on that,” he instructs. They all give it a wide berth.

The temple is much cooler than outside. Julie hadn’t realized how much she was sweating during their hike and climb. Only Reggie, in his avatar’s skimpy outfit, seemed comfortable. Now, in the shade, he shivers and wraps his arms around himself. Alex unbuttons his cargo shirt and hands it to him, leaving him just in a tank top. On Reggie’s lithe body, the extra large shirt is more like a dress.

Luke leads the way, occasionally holding up his hand to stop them. He scowls as they tread deeper.

“What’s going on?” Julie whispers.

“This isn’t right,” Luke replies, glancing around. “None of the traps that were here last time are here now.”

“Is it possible that the game is evolving?” Alex asks.

They all fall silent at the thought. Beating the game will be hard enough as it is without that added factor.

“Maybe they’re gone because we disarmed them earlier,” Reggie suggests. “Maybe some things carry over even when we restart the game.”

“Let’s hope so.”

Luke raises his hand. He kneels down and blows. A shimmering line the size of a strand of hair stretches across one side of the corridor to the other.

“Make sure to step clear of this,” Luke says. He waits beside it until everyone steps over before resuming the lead.

The next trap is only a couple steps away. Luke picks up a discarded stone and tosses it in front of them. Two large blades sweep out from the walls, angled in a way that would easily slice their bodies in two. Julie gulps.

“How do we get past that?” she asks.

“It takes a couple seconds for the blades to reset after they go. I’ll throw a stone and then one of you has to run across immediately. We’ll go one at a time.”

Reggie goes first. Luke throws the stone, the blades slice, and Reggie sprints across. He makes it with two seconds to spare. 

Alex is next. Luke throws the stone and he runs as fast as he can. His avatar isn’t as fast as Reggie’s and the last part of his pack is sheared off. Reggie pats his back as he joins him on the other side.

Julie goes next, picking up a stone so she can trigger it from the other side for Luke. Once they’re all safely across, they take a quick breather.

The third trap is one the boys have seen before, now in a different place. Two boulders are set near the sides of the walls. Luke points to the narrow pathways on the other side.

“The middle is a bed of spikes,” he says. “There are knives that will shoot out of the sides of the wall, so you have to crawl between the boulders and the wall.”

He goes first to demonstrate. The knives move so fast that Julie can hardly see them. She’s glad she found the boys because she would have never gotten past this without them.

On the other side, she leans forward to see the pit of spikes. A few skeletons wrapped in scraps of red-stained clothes leer up at her. Alex sets an arm on her back and leads her away from the gruesome sight.

“I’ve died a few times, but never in such a horrible way,” she says as they make their way through the temple. “Mostly I drank bad water, ate poisonous berries, got bitten by a venomous snake - little things that happen naturally. The worst was probably when I fell out of a tree.”

“My first death was getting eaten by a lion,” Alex tells her, grimacing. “I think the bed of spikes might be slightly preferable to that.”

They reach a corridor that splits into two. Daylight shines out from the right side and a faint green glow shines from the left.

“The gem is an emerald, right?” Julie asks. “I bet we need to go left to get it.”

Luke hesitates, gripping his torch tightly with his hand. “I have a bad feeling about that corridor.”

“Now you’re starting to get bad feelings?” Reggie asks. “You couldn’t have gotten a bad feeling when I suggested playing this game?”

“How am I the one to blame? You just admitted you were the one who wanted to play it!”

“Please, we all know my ideas aren’t always the best!”

As the two continue to bicker, Julie looks over at Alex, who has his face buried in his hand. She suppresses a smile.

“I can’t believe you honestly thought you were going to live out the rest of your life in this game with those two,” she says.

“Me neither,” Alex agrees.

Julie steps up between Luke and Reggie. “Alright guys. We need to get that gem so we can get out of here. This place gives me the creeps. I’m sure you’ll have plenty of time to fight once we’re out of here.”

They both shut up immediately and Luke leads the way. As Alex falls into line next to Julie he says, “Where have you been all my life?”

Before she can answer, Luke calls out for them to stop. They crowd around behind him, the next trap clear.

A chasm with floating rocks stretches out ahead of them. The only way to the other side is to leap from the top of one to the other. Some are slanted and sloped to make it more difficult.

“Okay. Not a problem. We just jump across them. Like playing the floor is lava,” Julie says.

The boys give her strange looks but no one asks. Luke tosses his torch to the other side where it lands on the stone, flickers, and then blazes to life again. He sets his pack down on the ground near the wall.

He backs up to get a running start and then launches himself into the air. He jumps from one to the other and makes it across easily. He picks up his torch and waves to them.

“That’s not bad at all,” Reggie says. He’s about to go when Julie throws out her arm.

“Look,” she says. The stones that Luke had touched are dissolving away, leaving that many fewer.

“I should go next,” Alex says. “My avatar has the worst physical stats. Then you, Julie, then Reggie.”

Alex runs across next. His foot slips on the second to last stone but Luke lunges forward and catches his arm. He tangles preciously over the lip for a few seconds before Luke hauls him over.

It’s Julie’s turn now. She moves to the outer edge, where there are more stones, and takes her time. Luke has just sprinted across but she jumps one to another, mentally measuring the distances and checking the flatness of the surface before committing. She makes it over safely.

Reggie also crosses without a hitch, the gymnastic abilities of his Avatar coming in handy. As one they turn and dive deeper into the corridor.

They reach a room with nothing but a stone altar jutting out of the floor. On top, a large emerald the size of a football shines out, casting a green glow on everyone.

“I say we take it and run,” Reggie stage-whispers.

“Are there any traps?” Alex asks.

Luke shakes his head. “It’s weird. There’s a trap around it, but I can’t figure out what it does or where it comes from. It’s triggered by the stone but it doesn’t affect the surrounding area."

“Like I said,” Reggie repeats. “We take it and run.”

As terrible as an idea it is, Julie doesn’t see a better option. They stand around for another minute before finally accepting their fate.

“Get ready to run,” Alex warns as Reggie prepares to retrieve the stone.

He runs forward, jumps into a handspring, and lands in the perfect position to grab the stone. He tucks it into the oversize shirt he’s wearing and ties the ends tightly to make a sling.

The moment the stone leaves the pedestal, the entire temple begins to shake. Chunks of the ceiling start to fall and traps they’d avoided are triggered like crazy, knives and flames and other sharp and deadly objects flying through the air. They sprint back down the corridor they’d come from.

At the chasm with the stones, they slide to a halt. There aren’t enough stones for them to cross one by one and the chunks from the ceiling are taking out the remaining ones.

“Reggie, grab Julie!” Luke shouts. “Alex, jump on my back.”

With Julie on Reggie’s back and Alex on Luke’s, the two stronger avatars attempt the crossing. Reggie nearly slips once and Julie squeezes her eyes tight, sure she’s going to experience death by plummeting, but a few seconds later they’re on solid ground again. She slides off and they run towards the junction they’d come from.

“Watch for the wire!” Luke shouts as they near the corner. They all make a long jump, not having enough time to judge exactly where the tripwire is.

They exit through the right corridor, running for the sunlight. The temple is shaking so hard that Julie nearly stumbles. She clears the entryway right as the stones collapse. Through the dusty haze, she catches sight of Luke and Reggie’s avatars as they stumble down the steps, which are also crumbling inward.

They reach the ground a safe distance and fall to the ground, coughing hard. It’s only when Julie catches her breath fully that she realizes one of them is missing.

“Guys,” she says. “Where’s Alex?”

She gets her answer a second later when Alex tumbles out of the sky and lands with a grunt on the ground. On his wrist is a singular black tally.

“I would not recommend getting crushed to death,” he says. “It was almost as painful as the lion biting my face off.”

“Guys,” Reggie says, pulling the green gem out of his shirt. “We got it. Now we just have to find the statue it belongs to and we get to go home.”

Julie pulls out her map and notices that a sliver that was previously covered is now revealed, showing a large grassland. The yellow path cuts right through it. She turns the map around to show the boys.

“Our next stop,” she says. “We should probably backtrack and grab the vehicle, unless you want to walk all this way on foot.”

“What she said,” Luke says.

They walk around the back of the destroyed temple and collapse in the car. They’re all pretty tired and shaken, especially Alex. Luke begins driving them away, weaving through the trees.

Julie realizes they’ve been in the game for a few hours and she has no idea how much time has passed in the real world.

“I have to go,” she says, swiping to bring out the game settings. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

Reggie grins slightly. “Funny,” he says.

Julie hits _pause game_ and leaves the world of Jumanji.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All rights belong to the creators and writers of Julie and the Phantoms (2020). I take no credit, and I do not mean to break any copyright rules. This is simply a work of fiction made for enjoyment. No money is being made.
> 
> Rating: K+

**Chapter 7**

“Julie.”

Julie slowly looks up from her desk at her calculus teacher, cringing at the disappointment in the woman’s eyes.

“Yes?” she squeaks out.

“This is the second day in a row you haven’t done your homework. I know you’re still going through a tough time, but your school is really important. If you’re struggling and need some extra time, you just have to let me know and we can work something out.”

Julie nods. “I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize. Just try and do better.”

The words hurt Julie more than they should. She wishes she could tell the truth - that she spends all her free time these days trying to help three guys escape a video game they’re trapped in. She faces death and pain every day when she goes home. Sorry if calculus doesn’t seem so important in light of that. But she can't say any of that, so she simply keeps a low profile until the bell rings.

Julie’s next class is dance. This is actually a class she enjoys. She and Flynn are in it together and it’s easy and stress free. Nothing like getting to dance all her worries away.

“You look awful,” Flynn says as they change into their workout clothes. “Like, even worse than this morning on the bus.”

“I’m not sleeping well,” Julie admits.

“Still having nightmares?”

Julie nods. It’s the easiest explanation.

“Have you thought about seeing your therapist again? I know you don’t like to go, but he did help you a lot.”

“The nightmares don’t have anything to do with my mom,” Julie says. She laces her shoes up. “They’re just stressful.

“At least there’s nothing stressful about dance.” 

They step into the gym and line up. Their instructor runs them through their stretches. Julie is just leaning down to touch her toes when she spots the boy’s P.E. class filing in. She stands up quickly, hyper aware of a certain blond boy in the middle.

Flynn looks over and raises her eyebrows suggestively.

“Alright, girls,” their instructor says. “I’ve invited the boys into our class for the next couple weeks. Dancing is a great way to learn coordination, and the principal asked if we could perform a special homecoming dance next Saturday.”

A mix of groans and excited squeals ring out. Julie feels like she’s been punched in the stomach. To make matters worse, her instructor says, “You’ll be able to choose your own partners.”

The only thing worse than being in a boy-girl dance is getting to choose your own partner for the boy-girl dance. Julie has never had good luck with these things. A nice-looking guy who has a couple classes with Flynn walks over and asks to be her partner. Julie reaches out for Flynn’s hands as she moves away.

“Don’t leave me!” Julie calls, but Flynn just winks at her.

“Hey.”

Julie whirls around, nearly running straight into Nick. “Oh. Hi.”

He smiles. “Do you want to be my partner?”

“Uh, sure. Yeah. That would be great.” Julie inwardly curses herself at her own awkwardness. _Nick is just a friend_ , she reminds herself. _He’s dating Carrie. He’s just being friendly. He probably knew no one else would ask to be my partner and felt bad._

“First step,” their instructor says. “Snake to the side. Snake to the other side. Then step…”

Julie and Nick follow the instructions. Julie holds her breath whenever she has to touch Nick’s hands. She’s glad her dark complexion helps hide the redness of her cheeks.

“Wow,” Nick says after he trips up on a series of steps. “You’re really good at dancing.”

“Uh, thanks. You’re not too bad yourself.”

Nick laughs. “You don’t have to lie to protect my feelings.”

Julie suppresses a smile. Nick spins her around and she runs into him when he doesn’t step back. She clears her throat and steps away, ducking her head.

“Seriously, you might regret letting me be your partner.”

Julie frowns. “Stop beating yourself up. Dancing is hard. I’ve been doing it for years. By the time the homecoming dance rolls around, you’ll have it down no problem.”

“Thanks, Julie.” Nick reaches up and runs his hand through his hair. Julie tries and fails not to stare.

She fumbles around to try and change the subject before he notices. “Don’t you ever dance with Carrie?”

Nick’s face suddenly falls. “No,” he says curtly. “And we never will. We broke up.”

“Whaaaat?”

He smiles dryly. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but she isn’t exactly the nicest.”

“No, never.” Julie instantly cringes at how blatant her lie sounds, but Nick doesn’t seem to notice or care. He shrugs and the expression that crosses his face shuts down the topic.

It takes the rest of the class period for Julie to build up the courage to tell Nick, “If you need anyone to talk to...like a friend....I’m here for you.”

She hates how weak it sounds, but Nick looks happy. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”

“Yeah.” She pauses, then adds, “I know we don’t talk that often, but you were so kind to me after my mom died, and...I just want to be able to be there for you as well.”

“A break-up is hardly the same as what you went through. And all I did was treat you like a normal person.”

“And you were one of the only people who did.” She forces a smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Nick.”

“Yeah. See you tomorrow, Julie.”

In the locker room, Flynn corners her immediately. “Julie! What was that all about?”

“Nick and Carrie broke up. I just told him I’d be there for him if he needed a friend.”

“More like girlfriend,” Flynn corrects, a grin on her face. “This is perfect. Homecoming is in less than two weeks. My girl might have a date this year!”

Julie glances around and then shushes her. “I don’t want to rush anything. He just broke up with Carrie. He might not be ready for a relationship.”

“But if he does ask, you’ll say yes, right?”

Julie turns away. “It doesn’t matter. I don’t even know if he’ll ask.”

“Mmmhmm.” Flynn flips her hair over her shoulder. “We’ll see.”

-

Jumping back into the game is as disorienting as ever. It takes Julie a few seconds to remember where the game left off.

“Hey, guys,” she says, turning in her seat. The forest blurs by outside the windows.

“That’s it?” Alex asks. “You’re back already?”

“I was gone for almost a full day.” 

“What’d you do? In the real world.” Reggie sighs. “I miss the real world. With pizza, burgers, and meatball subs.”

“Ugh,” Luke groans. “I would give one of my lives for a meatball sub right now.”

“Hey,” Alex says. “Not funny.”

“It kinda is,” Reggie disagrees.

“So what did you do today?” Luke asks.

“Not much. I went to school, got in trouble by my calculus teacher for not doing my homework - ”

“Calculus?” Reggie wrinkles his nose. “You didn’t tell us you were a genius.”

“Oh, I’m not. Trust me.”

“I’m so glad I dropped out of high school before I had to take calculus.” Luke glances over at her. “It’s not too late, you know.”

She rolls her eyes. “I’m not dropping out of school because of one class. Then I had dance class and I found out Nick broke up with Carrie - ”

“The mean girl, right?” Reggie smacks Alex’s shoulder and grins. “And the scales of balance have been righted. Justice has been served!”

“Dude.” Alex pushes him back. “We all know you secretly miss high school. If this Carrie showed up right now you’d date her.”

“Probably,” Reggie confesses. He meets Julie’s eyes in the rearview mirror and grimaces. “Well, not if Julie has beef with her. I respect Julie too much for that.”

“Thanks,” Julie says dryly. She leans back in her seat and kicks her feet up on the dashboard. “It was a long day. I’m actually pretty tired.”

“Please don’t pass out on us again,” Alex says, leaning forward between the seats. “I’m sure that Caleb guy is going to be after us now that we have the gem.”

“Speaking of the devil,” Luke mutters, staring into the mirror. He floors the accelerator and the vehicle lunges forward. “Julie, what does your map say?”

She pulls it out of the canister and unrolls it. “We’re about to clear the forest. The plains are up ahead.”

“Not good,” Reggie says. “We’re going to be open pickings once we clear the trees.”

Julie glances in the mirror and sees the flash of the sun against metal. The roar of more than one motor fills the air as vehicles filled with Caleb's men begin to chase them through the forest. Where they came from, Julie isn't quite sure.

“Hold on tight!” Luke warns. They clear the trees and brush and burst out into the grassland. The grass is waist high in some places, hiding the truth of the plains.

“Watch out!” Alex shouts. Luke jerks the wheel to the side and narrowly avoids smashing straight into a herd of grazing zebras.

The cars on their tail fly out of the forests behind them. Julie curls up in her seat as the sound of machine guns ripples through the air. The back windshield shatters, raining down glass on Alex and Reggie.

“They have guns?!” Reggie screeches. “Not fair!”

Julie peeks up to see Luke swerve through groups of various animals: antelopes, lions, giraffes, elephants and zebras, among others. A small lake in the middle of the area serves as a neutral water source.

Another round of gunshots breaks through the front windshield. Julie covers her head with her hands.

“Anyone have any ideas?” Luke calls out as he once again jerks the vehicle in the opposite direction. “They’re trying to flank us!”

Alex pops his head up. “Actually, I do!”

“What?”

“Stop the car!”

“Are you crazy?” Reggie shouts. “They’ll gun us down!”

“Just do it! By the lake!”

Luke pulls up and hits the brakes. Dust kicks up as the car settles. Alex rolls out of the car and sprints towards the nearest animals - a group of zebras.

“What’s he doing?” Julie asks. In the backseat, Reggie is covering his eyes with his hands.

“I can’t watch,” he moans.

Alex moves through the group of zebras, slapping their backsides. The animals rear and neigh. A of them paw the ground before taking off. Alex moves onto the next animals - the giraffes.

Julie and Luke watch in shocked awe as he works up the animals into a frenzy. He’s just reached the elephants when the men chasing them swing around. Alex ducks behind the thick leg of an elephant and a few of the bullets pierce the mighty beast. Alex dives and rolls out of the way as the elephant trumpets in pain and anger. The entire herd of elephants - dozens of them - begin running towards the vehicles, their tusks lowered.

With the elephants committed to the cause, all the animals follow suit. Alex runs back to their vehicle as Caleb’s men are chased and trampled by the dozens of wild animals.

“Floor it,” he breathes as he slides inside and slams the door shut. Luke doesn’t waste any time. He peels out, heading the opposite direction of the angry animals.

Reggie throws his arms around Alex. “I really thought we’d lost you there,” he says. “How did you know that would happen?”

“I didn’t,” Alex says. “I just knew I had to do something and since my avatar is supposed to have animal powers, I figured I might as well try.”

They drive for a few more hours. After the close encounter with Caleb’s men, they’re all wide awake and alert. When night falls, they make camp by a small grove of trees in the middle of the plains. Alex uses his nature abilities to start a fire in the middle. Julie and Reggie clean out the glass from the vehicle and gather up their packs and a few blankets. Luke uses his avatar’s strength to rip a few branches off the trees to create a barrier on their open sides. It’s not much, but hopefully it will deter any wild animals from getting too close.

As they gather around the warmth of the fire, Julie realizes she’ll have to spend the night here. If she pauses the game no time will pass. She either has to stay awake all night in Jumanji time and hope it’s only a few hours in her real life or she risks falling asleep and losing control over her avatar.

After a quick dinner, the boys start laying out their bedrolls and blankets. Luke tries to hand her one, and she shakes her head.

“I’ll take watch. Can’t sleep, remember?”

“Oh.” He frowns. “That sucks.”

“It’ll be fine. One of us should stay awake anyway.” Julie takes a blanket off his pile and wraps it around her shoulders. “Get a good night’s rest. If I see anything, I’ll wake you up.”

The grassland is strangely peaceful at night. The moon shines bright up ahead. The fire crackles and spits out sparks. In the distance, she can hear the sound of animals. In their protective circle, she feels safe.

Julie leans back against the vehicle and tries to sort her thoughts out. Everything in her life has been absolutely crazy these past three days. She’s been running full speed ahead and hasn’t gotten a chance to sort things through.

It all started when she was cleaning out her mom’s studio. It was probably the hardest thing she’s ever done. Honestly, Julie didn’t even feel like she was truly ready. She only did it because she wanted so desperately to prove to her dad that she was ready. Even though she didn’t think she could handle it, she did. Julie has felt like the pain from her mother’s death hasn’t been weighing as heavily on her.

Of course, that could be in part because she has a much more pressing concern in the present. Julie still doesn’t understand why she even picked up the video game. She wonders how it even came to be in her garage. If the boys started it a month before her and used the same console then how on earth did it get to her property? 

That’s probably not the right question, though. Of all her questions about the game, the last thing she’d ask about is how it ended up in her hands. Her first priority would be questions like how the video game sucked her and the boys in, why she can control the game but the boys can’t, and who the fifth avatar in use is and where he or she is.

Then there’s her life outside of the game - her real life. Although Flynn has forgiven her about the music program thing, she knows that Flynn is still sad that she isn’t even trying. Her dad, too. Her grades in all her classes are suffering because of all the time she spends in the video game and now she has the whole Nick-as-her-dance-partner on top of it all.

Julie can’t believe that out of all her entire life, the game decided to suck her in now. If it wasn’t for the game, she would be ecstatic about Nick paying her attention and being her dance partner. She would be freaking out over the possibility of him asking her to the homecoming dance. Nick’s been her distant crush for over a year now.

But something made her hesitate when Flynn asked if she would go to the dance with Nick. It’s nothing to do with Nick - he’s as great as ever. No, it has to do with a certain video game guy that Julie happens to be spending a lot of time with now.

In the dim light of the fire, Julie searches out Luke. She can’t deny having a tiny crush on him. It’s hard not to with the way he looks at her with big, friendly eyes. She’s only known him for a few days but she can’t deny the way they vibe with each other. And of course it doesn’t help that his avatar is attractive. She wonders if she would still feel this way if he had Alex’s avatar.

The problem is that Julie doesn’t know the guys outside of the video game. Liking someone for their body is shallow, but bodies also define so much of what a person is like. The way someone moves, the way their faces morph into different expressions, the way a person styles themself - those aren’t necessarily shallow. People express themselves through their bodies. How much are the avatars interfering with the boys’ personalities? Luke seems pretty confident, but is that part of his avatar’s leadership skills?

Even Reggie - his avatar is supposed to be a serious fighter. He’s obviously a huge goofball, but his avatar’s resting face is grim and solemn and scary. And obviously his avatar is a girl. Julie highly doubts that Reggie has the same gymnastic abilities as his game character.

Julie knows her crush on Luke is stupid. Still, she wonders if they’ll ever meet each other in real life. She wants to know he really looks like - what they all really look like. She wants to see their band perform; maybe they’ll get a second shot at the Orpheum and they’ll give her a backstage pass. If she gets them through this alive, it’s the least they can do.

For now, Julie is just going to focus on getting them out of the game. She’ll keep her real life and this game separate. If Nick asks her out, she’ll say yes. If the boys get out of the game and she stays in touch with them, then she’ll deal with that.

Julie wraps the blanket tighter around her shoulders. She knows that she should be freaking out that she’s living half her life in a video game. She should be running to her therapist to make sure that she isn’t hallucinating it all. But this can’t just be a dream. It’s too realistic.

Sitting around this fire, listening to the soft breathing of the sleeping boys, she feels more at peace than she has since her mother died.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All rights belong to the creators and writers of Julie and the Phantoms (2020). I take no credit, and I do not mean to break any copyright rules. This is simply a work of fiction made for enjoyment. No money is being made.
> 
> Rating: K+

**Chapter 8**

Alex is the first to wake. He rolls over, rubs his eyes, and then feels around for his glasses. Julie watches him, her eyes glassy and her jaw clenched to hold in a yawn.

“Mornin’,” she says. He sets his glasses on and then looks over at her.

“Morning.” He climbs to his feet and glances around their temporary campsite. “Anything happen in the night?”

Julie pulls her blanket away and begins to fold it. “No. Well, I did see a figure flitting around in the bush, but it never came close. I think it was just a curious animal.”

Alex nods, but she doesn’t miss the frown on his face.

“What is it?” she asks, softening her voice.

“I was kinda hoping that Willie might change his mind and join us,” he admits. “I understand why he wouldn’t want to - we are being hunted down. But I also kinda figured that since he’s immortal in the game he might not care.”

“We might still run into him later,” Julie says. “He probably knows all sorts of secret ways around if he’s been in the game for a while.” She pauses. “Were you guys close?”

Alex shrugs. “I don’t know. I thought we were friends, at least.”

“If he really is your friend, then I’m sure we’ll see him again.” Julie offers him a smile. “Now, I think we should wake the others.”

Alex nudges Luke and Reggie with his feet while Julie covers up the remains of the fire and packs up the vehicle. They eat a quick breakfast from their rations and load up. Julie pulls out her map.

“It looks like we’re going through another forest,” she says. “This one is shaded a lot darker than the first one on my map.”

“Video games usually get progressively harder as you work through them,” Reggie says. “It’s probably full of all sorts of dangerous things.”

“And on that happy note,” Alex says, “let’s be off.”

They reach the forest around noon. The first thing Julie notices is that all the animals stay far away from the edge. The shadows from the forest seem to reach out with smoky fingers.

“There’s no way we’re going to be able to navigate the car through that,” Luke says. He pulls up along the edge. “I guess we’re going on foot from here.”

“Are you sure there’s no way around the creepy forest?” Reggie asks. Julie consults her map, but the yellow path leads straight through.

“Nope.” She hefts her pack over her shoulders. “The sooner we get started, the better.”

They disappear into the darkness. Only the barest rays of sunlight stream through the canopy, leaving the entire forest just slightly less dark than the inside of the temple. 

Julie feels jumpier than ever. Every rustle in the bushes sets her heart racing. Every insect chirp or bird cheep causes her to grip the machete at her belt more tightly. Luke leads the way again, smashing his own machete back and forth to clear a path.

The boys are as jumpy as she is, Alex especially. She remembers that he’s the only one who has lost a life so far. Although they know she can restart the game and reset their lives, none of them want to have to do all of this over again, least of all Julie.

She’s already worried about how much time she’s spent in the game today. With the inconsistent time differences, she has no idea if it’s been an hour or twelve. What if her real body is lying in the loft and her dad is freaking out trying to wake her up?

Her face twists into a frown and she feels Alex’s shoulder bump against hers. This time he’s the one asking if she’s alright.

“Yeah. I’m just worried about how much time I’ve spent here. I don’t want my dad to freak out about me not waking up like you guys did. I don’t know if he could handle it.”

“Recent death in the family?” Reggie asks, his voice low.

Julie feels her throat swell up. She can only nod. “What about you? Aren’t your parents worried about you?”

Alex and Reggie exchange glances. Luke alone doesn’t turn back, though he whacks the plants in front of him with more aggression that he did before.

“None of us were really close with our families,” Alex says. “We all moved out months ago.”

“But they’re probably still tracking your progress as musicians. No matter what happened, they still love you. If you went missing right before playing the Orpheum, they’re probably freaking out.”

Alex shrugs. “There’s nothing we can do now except try and get out of this game. After that…” he trails off.

They walk in silence for an hour. Julie hadn’t meant to kill the mood, but obviously her inquiries about their home lives hit a sore spot. She understands their reluctance to talk about it and respects it.

The day gets warmer. Without the sun shining directly on them, it’s a humid warmth. Julie uses a strip of cloth to tie her hair back and she rolls up her sleeves. Alex takes off his round hat and fans himself with it. Reggie is back to his crop top and shorts outfit and Luke unbuttons the front of his shirt. Julie is glad he’s walking in front of them.

As the sour mood begins to lift, Luke begins to hum under his breath. Alex and Reggie join in, sometimes with the same note and sometimes with harmonies. It takes Julie a few minutes to realize that they’re not just humming a song they know - they’re writing one on the spot, together.

As the melody irons itself out, Luke begins to throw in words here and there, occasionally changing them up or humming sections where he hasn’t figured out lyrics for. Julie hides her smile as she listens to them work. It reminds her of when her mother used to write songs.

“You guys really don’t waste any time, do you?” she asks.

“It’s not like we’re doing anything else,” Reggie says.

“Besides trying to survive?” Alex asks. “Oh, that’s a good line, Luke.”

An hour later, the boys have composed an entire song. It’s missing the full band sound, but Julie knows it could still be a hit. Part of her longs to join in and help them compose. She stifles the urge and contents herself with walking.

Luke suddenly stops. He holds his arms out. “Did you guys hear that?” he asks.

“Hear what?”

Julie lets out a shriek when she sees the black-clad figures drop from the trees. A dozen men, each with wicked knives and a couple with guns. Julie backs up to Luke and Alex.

To her surprise, Reggie simply cracks his knuckles. “Alright. Time for berserker mode.”

His avatar’s eyes flash red and he lunges forward with a speed that startles Julie. He disarms the first two attackers before Julie can blink. Then all the men converge on them at once.

Luke steps out and defends her and Alex with great strokes of his machete. One man sneaks into range and he kicks his chest, sending the man flying fifteen feet. On their other side, Reggie absolutely demolishes the attackers, flipping and spinning and somersaulting like a superhero. Luke takes out two more guys and then the forest falls silent.

“There’s probably going to be more,” Reggie warns. He grabs his pack, which he had discarded before fighting, off the ground and slings it back on. “We should get out of here.”

They pick up their pace, but the sun sets before they’ve reached the other side of the forest. Julie can tell they still have a few hours of hiking before they break through. 

“We’re going to have to spend the night here,” she says. Her eyes are drooping and her body is sore. She desperately needs sleep. “I can’t stay awake much longer.”

“Let’s get set up for the night and then you can pause the game,” Luke suggests. Since the forest looks pretty much the same anywhere, they find a tree with thick roots and settle down between them. Once again Luke tears off branches to create a small barricade. Alex starts a fire.

Julie glances around them to see that blinking pairs of yellow and white eyes are gathering close. “Guys.”

“Yeah, we see them.” Reggie grips his machete tightly.

“Fire,” Alex says. He turns to Luke. “I need a few sticks to use as torches. They’ll stay away from the fire.”

“We’ll have to take turns sleeping,” Reggie says.

Julie watches them, but she’s barely aware of what’s going on. Her eyes are drifting shut…

Before she can remember to pause the game, she wakes up back in the real world.

-

Julie’s phone is vibrating loudly. She’s in the loft, the TV screen black in front of her. She drops the controller and grabs her phone.

It’s her dad. She picks it up. “Yeah?”

“Hey, honey. Where are you?”

“I’m in the garage. Why?”

“Oh.” A pause. “Okay. Can you come to the house? Your aunt is here.”

Of course her aunt is here. Julie wonders if she got a note from the school. She rushes down the ladder, grabs her backpack, and runs up the steps and through the archway to the house.

Julie bursts into the living room to see her _tía_ standing with her arms crossed over her chest - never a good sign. By her side, her dad’s face is a mixture of concern and confusion.

“Uh, hi,” Julie says, glancing between the two of them. She has the feeling she’s going to be in for a long conversation so she sits on the couch and grabs one of the cushions to cradle in her lap. “What’s going on?”

“Your aunt got an email from the school,” her dad says.

Tía raises an eyebrow. “From your calculus teacher.”

Julie sighs. “I know.”

“If you’re having trouble with math, why don’t you just ask for help?” her dad asks. “They have tutors at the school.”

“I know. I’ve just been under a lot of stress lately.”

“Does it have to do with cleaning Mom’s studio?”

Julie shakes her head, not trusting herself to try and lie.

“Because you’ve been spending a lot of time in there, _mija_. Maybe you need to take a break.”

She shakes her head again. “No, it’s not that. It’s...it’s just school in general.”

“Do you need us to talk to your teachers?” Tía asks.

“No - definitely no. I’ll be okay. I promise. It won’t happen again.”

“Okay.” Her dad smiles. At his side, Tía nudges him. “Uh, go to your room.” Tía clears her throat. “And study,” he adds.

Julie rolls her eyes, though she’s relieved the conversation was so short. She shuts her bedroom door and pulls out her calculus book.

An hour later, after slaving away at derivatives and the unit circle, Julie finally finishes up the homework she’d missed as well as tonight’s homework. She checks her texts to see that Flynn had sent her an audio recording a few hours ago. Julie listens and takes time to give her feedback.

It’s already eleven when Julie slips on her pajamas and climbs into bed. She’s just settled into a comfortable position when she realizes that she left the boys in the game without pausing. She sits up with a jolt.

Julie pulls on a robe and slippers and sneaks out of her room and down the stairs. She’s almost made it to the front door when her father walks by. He gives her a strange look.

“Going somewhere?”

“Nope!” Her voice rings out false. She clears her throat. “Just going to the bathroom.”

“You didn’t want to use the upstairs one?”

Julie’s mind races. “Carlos used it not too long ago.”

“Understandable.” Her dad nods. “Well, goodnight, Julie.”

“Yep. Goodnight to you, I mean.”

She ducks into the bathroom and flushes the toilet. There’s no way she’s sneaking out of her house tonight. The earliest she’ll be able to get back to the game is in the morning before school. Hopefully the boys can survive without her for that long.

Hopefully not too much time passes within the game.

-

Julie wakes up an hour earlier than normal and sneaks out to the garage. The sky is gray and there’s a cool breeze in the air. She makes sure to close the doors after her.

She sets an alarm on her phone for an hour. She’s not sure if it will do anything, but she has to try something.

She picks up the controller, turns on the TV, and is immediately sucked into the game.

Everything is so disorienting at first that she doesn’t know what’s going on. Her body’s bouncing up and down and the world around her is passing in a blur. Her head is resting on something and only when she lifts it does she realize what’s going on.

She’s being carried on someone’s back. A few steps ahead she can see Reggie’s avatar, the red hair flowing freely in the wind as he runs. She half-twists and sees Alex’s avatar a few steps behind. That must mean that Luke is carrying her.

A spear hits the ground a few feet to her left. She turns again and this time sees that they’re being chased by a group of men with long, wicked-looked spears and bodies covered in paint. No doubt the natives of Jumanji.

“Can’t we just convince them that we’re on their side?” she asks Luke. At the sound of her voice, he nearly stumbles.

“You’re awake!” His breath is tight from exertion.

She ignores the comment. “They’re after us because they think we’re with Caleb. If we convince them that we’re trying to put the gem back, they might help us!”

“They don’t speak English and none of us speak their language,” Luke replies. “Can you run by yourself?”

“Yeah.”

Without breaking his pace, he releases her legs and she slides off his back, launching forward as soon as her feet hit the ground. She swerves around a tree just as a spear thuds into it.

“How long was I out?” she shouts. Luke vaults over a tree stump ahead of her before answering.

“Two days. We made it through the haunted forest and wandered straight into their village. We thought we lost them, but they must have picked up our trail.”

Julie fumbles with the canister at her belt and pulls out her map. She alternates between glancing at it and watching the path ahead of her.

“You guys got really off-track! We’re way off the path!”

“We didn’t exactly have our cartographer to show us the way!”

Julie’s eyes scan the map. A branch slaps her across the face but she continues running.

“There’s a set of cliffs ahead! There’s a single bridge across it. If we get across it, we can cut the ropes and they won’t be able to follow us!”

She shoves her map back into the canister and piles on her speed. Alex is right on her heels. Reggie is the furthest ahead. He breaks through the treeline and disappears. Luke is right behind him and then she and Alex.

The bridge comes into view. It’s old, rickety, and even from a distance Julie can see missing planks. If they weren’t being chased by two dozen men with spears, there’s no way Julie would step on it. As it is, she’s risking death either way.

Reggie reaches it first and pauses. He waves Luke past and then her and Alex. Two more spears hit the ground, one so close that Julie can hear the whoosh next to her ear. She realizes that Reggie is waiting to hold the men off so they have a chance to get across.

The bridge shakes back and forth as her weight settles on the first plank. She holds the ropes with both hands as she jumps over a gap. Luke is already at the halfway point. The bridge sways even more dangerously when Alex begins crossing behind her.

Her foot hits a weak plank and it dissolves beneath her. With a shriek she sink down, one leg swinging over the river flowing a hundred feet below her. Her hands, clutching the ropes with white knuckles, is the only thing keeping her from completely falling.

Ahead, Luke turns around and pauses, indecision clear on his face. Alex reaches her and grabs her waist, lifting her up and back onto the bridge with a grunt. Although her heart is beating hard enough to break through her chest, she doesn’t hesitate before continuing to run.

Luke finishes crossing when he sees that she’s clear of the gap. A few seconds later her feet are thudding on solid ground. If it weren’t for their pursuers, she’d collapse on the spot. As it is, she whirls around to catch sight of the others.

Alex clears the bridge right after her. All three of them turn to see Reggie sprinting across, the athletic nature of his avatar helping him avoid the loose boards and gaps. The men on the other side are gathered around the posts. It takes Julie a minute to realize that they’re sawing at the ropes.

“Run, Reggie!” she cries, cupping her hands around her mouth.

They saw through the first rope. The bridge twists nearly perpendicular to the ground. Reggie slips and falls. His hands reach out and grab the ropes at the last minute. He begins pulling himself hand-over-hand across.

The men continue sawing at the other rope. Reggie is tantalizingly close. Luke kneels down and extends his hand. Reggie reaches for it and their fingers brush. Luke leans forward as far as he dares. Reggie swings his hand back.

Just as their hands clasp, the other half of the bridge falls. Reggie is jerked downwards. A loose rope tangles around his ankle and yanks him away, his hand tearing out of Luke’s.

Luke nearly falls with him. Only Julie and Alex grabbing his shoulders and pulling him backwards saves him from the same fate. Reggie’s screams are still ringing in their ears as they scramble away from the edge.

It takes the game a few seconds to send Reggie back. He lands a couple feet away in a super-hero position, his chin thrown back and his hair snapping back with it. On his forearm is a single black tally.

Luke runs over to him first, throwing his arms around him. Alex is next. Julie hangs back, catching her breath.

When they finally let him go, they all sit down. The men on the other side are slowly creeping back into the trees. The bridge is completely gone, only the poles on either side remaining.

“I’m so sorry,” Luke says. “I really tried.”

“There was nothing you could do,” Reggie says. “My avatar weakness, remember? It’s heights.” He motions at his arm. “And now we’re all tied at one.”

Julie remembers Alex’s death, and of course Reggie just died, but she must have missed Luke’s. She looks over and sees that, sure enough, he has a tally of his own as well.

“What did I miss?” she asks.

“Not much,” Alex says. “Just a bunch of hiking and running.”

“I died when we ran into the village,” Luke explains. “They got me with a spear.”

“What happened to you?” Reggie asks. “One minute you were fine. The next minute you were passed out.”

“My phone rang in the real world. I think it somehow pulled me out.” Julie remembers the alarm she has set. “And actually, I need to go. I have to go to school.”

“School?’ Luke wrinkles his nose. “At a time like this?”

“Yes, school,” she says, standing. “I know that this is your entire life right now, but it’s not mine. I’m doing my best to get you guys through this, but I also have to keep up with the real world. People are starting to get worried. If I miss school, I might get grounded and then who knows how long it will be until I can get back to the game.”

None of them argue with her on that. Julie swipes for the menu screen. “I’ll make sure to pause it this time.”

She hits the button and closes her eyes as the spinning feeling surrounds her. A second later she’s back in the loft. She grabs her phone just as the alarm goes off.

She tries not to think of how close she cut it as she heads back into the house to grab breakfast.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All rights belong to the creators and writers of Julie and the Phantoms (2020). I take no credit, and I do not mean to break any copyright rules. This is simply a work of fiction made for enjoyment. No money is being made.
> 
> Rating: K+

**Chapter 9**

All the athletes, and by extension the popular kids, are in a sour mood at school. The boy’s lacrosse team had gotten a sound beating from their biggest rivals at Glendale the previous evening. Normally Julie wouldn’t care in the least, but since their dance class has been invaded by about half the team, it’s completely unavoidable.

Nick is especially downtrodden. Between his recent break-up with Carrie and his status as the junior captain of the team, he just can’t seem to catch a break.

“This your chance,” Flynn whispers in Julie’s ear as they exit the locker room. “Be there for him. Give him attention. He’ll be all yours by homecoming.”

“I’m not going to use his sadness to manipulate him into liking me more,” Julie whispers back.

“I didn’t tell you to manipulate him. All you have to do is show you care - you do care, right?”

Julie shoves her lightly. “Of course I care.”

“Then prove it to him.”

Julie meets Nick at their spot on the dance floor. He manages a smile in greeting and she waves her hand.

The dance instructor leads them through a series of stretches before turning the music to the song they’re dancing to. They start with a run-through of the choreography they’ve learned so far.

The boys have a jump and spin move and when Nick does his, his ankle twists and he catches himself with his hands. He looks up at her through his blond bangs. He looks so sad that Julie can’t help the pang that goes through her. She reaches down and offers her hand.

“I’m sure you’re regretting having me be your partner,” he says. “My dancing abilities don’t exceed my little sister’s princess tea parties.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. This is a hard dance. Besides, I’d rather have a partner I enjoy being around than one I can’t stand who’s a great dancer.”

Nick’s lips twitch into a real smile. “True. I guess I’m lucky that you’re both.”

Julie’s cheeks redden and she glances away. The instructor saves her from having to reply by barking out a few more orders. Nick and Julie run through the moves at half-speed for a few minutes without speaking.

Julie remembers what Flynn said and she takes a deep breath. “Hey, Nick...are you doing okay? You seem kind of down.”

Now he’s the one avoiding her eyes. “It’s just been a rough week,” he says. 

“Not all bad, though. Your solo in music class the other day was incredible. I wanted to say something, but…”

“But?”

Julie shakes her head. “I didn’t think Carrie would like it. She’s kinda...protective.”

“Yeah, well. That’s one reason we broke up.” Nick is silent for a moment. “When is your audition?”

“I don’t think I’m going to audition.”

Nick stops mid-move. “What?”

“I’m taking a break from music.”

He frowns, and he actually looks genuinely disappointed. “Julie, you’re so talented.”

Even though it’s one of her pet-peeve phrases, she finds that she doesn’t mind it as much when he’s the one saying it. Still, it’s not enough to convince her to change her mind.

“I _was_. It’s been so long since I played. I probably forgot everything.”

“Music is like riding a bike. You don’t just forget it. It always comes back to you.” His blue eyes stare into hers. “There’s really nothing I can do to change your mind?”

Julie is touched by how much he’s fighting for her. She never realized how much he cared about. She wonders how much Carrie kept him away from.

“It’s not about changing my mind. It’s that I literally can’t play anymore.” She pauses. Only because he was there for her after her mom died does she add, “It reminds me of my mother.”

His face softens. “I’m sorry, Julie. I didn’t mean to push. I didn’t know that was the reason.”

“It’s alright. It’s stupid, anyway. If she could come back down to earth she’d probably knock me silly.”

“It’s not stupid,” he insists. “My dad got me into music. I can totally understand where you’re coming from. If something were to happen to him, I don’t know if I’d be able to play for a while, either.”

The class period ends all too early. Julie waves to Nick after their teachers release them and they split up to get changed. Flynn is grinning as she and Julie change.

“Oh, knock it off.” Julie winds up her shirt and flicks it at her.

“I will not. I saw you guys chatting the whole time.” Flynn spreads her finger apart. “Sparks were flying.”

Julie sighs. “Look, I appreciate your support. I really do. But my life’s pretty full right now.”

“With what?” Flynn sets a hand on her hip. “You aren’t doing music anymore, apparently you’re not doing your homework, either, and I know for sure that you aren’t spending time with me. So what are you doing that’s keeping you so busy?”

Julie turns away so she doesn’t have to look in her friend’s eyes when she lies to her. Again. “I’ve been going through my mom’s stuff.”

Flynn doesn’t push the matter, for which Julie is thankful. They pull their backpacks on and head out the doors that lead to the hallway.

Julie nearly jumps when Nick pushes off the wall next to the door and falls in step with her.

“Uh, hi,” she says. “Again.”

“I hope you don’t mind. We're going in the same direction."

Julie glances over at Flynn, who winks at her and falls back a few steps. Julie smiles nervously at Nick.

“Yeah, of course. Have you started your midterm history project yet?”

Nick shakes his head. “No. I don’t even know where to start. Actually, I was hoping you could maybe help me.”

“What’s your topic?”

“World War I.”

“That’s a good one! There’s a lot you can do with it.”

He reaches back and pushes his bangs back. “Are you maybe available after school to help me today?” At her hesitation he quickly adds, “I know it’s short notice, please don’t feel any pressure to say yes.”

_No pressure?_ Julie thinks. _I’ve been crushing on you for a year and now you want to hang out? Alone? Of course there’s pressure!_

“Uh, sure. I could stay a couple of hours.”

“Cool.” Nick smiles. His mood seems to be greatly lifted from earlier. “Looking forward to it.”

-

It’s dinnertime when Julie finally gets back home. She and Nick’s impromptu project date ended up lasting a lot longer than intended. She’d really lost track of time working with him in the school library. They’d found an isolated table in the nonfiction section and borrowed computers. Between working on the project and talking about school stuff, the time had really flown by. Eventually they’d been kicked out by the librarians as they closed for the day.

She’d been about to call her dad to pick her up when Nick offered to drive her home. The fact that he’d just gotten his license probably should have worried her, but she trusts him. He’d played some Trevor Wilson music and the ride and they’d rocked out together - Julie didn’t sing, but she did dance to it.

“It doesn’t bother you?” she asks as he pulls up along the curb in front of her house. “To listen to your ex-girlfriend’s dad’s music?”

Nick shakes his head. “I was a Trevor Wilson fan even before I met Carrie. I had no idea he was her dad until the first time I went over to her house. I was so shocked to meet him that I totally freaked out. He’s really chill, though.”

“Yeah, he is. A little too chill.” Julie remembers going over to Carrie’s house when she was younger. She can’t remember him ever saying no when Carrie asked him something. As long as he could chill in his meditation room or sauna or by the pool undisturbed, it didn’t matter what she and Carrie did.

“That’s right. I forgot you and Carrie used to be friends.” He frowns. “What happened between you guys?”

Julie is surprised that he didn’t know. She decides to give him the short version. “We just grew apart as we got older. Happens all the time.” She looks at the clock. “Oh, wow, I have to go before my dad starts freaking. See you tomorrow?”

He waves as she steps out of the car. “Tomorrow,” he agrees.

Julie notices that he waited until she got into her house. Chivalry isn’t dead, apparently. Even after he spent the last two years dating Carrie.

Her dad and Carlos jump back from the windows as she steps inside. She tosses her backpack onto the couch and gives them both a strange look. “And what are you guys doing?”

“Spying on you,” Carlos answers shamelessly.

“Who was that?” her dad asks, trying to keep his voice casual.

“Just a friend. We were working on a project together after school.”

“What kind of project?” Carlos asks. “A kissing project?”

Julie chucks a pillow at him. He ducks. Before he can straighten up, she nails him with another one.

“No, you little pervert. A history project.”

“I don’t think I’ve met him before,” her dad says. “Will you be spending more time with him?”

She appreciates her dad’s attempt at subtlety, but it fails epically. She can read right through him.

“If you’re asking if we’re dating, the answer is no.”

“Well, you should invite him over anyway. I know a little bit about history myself, and it’s been a while since we had any dinner guests other than Flynn.”

“If we ever date, I promise to introduce you. But that’s a big if.” Julie goes over to the dinner table, where all the places have been set, and takes a seat. “He just broke up with Carrie Wilson this week. I doubt he’s ready to be in another relationship and I don’t want to be a rebound.”

“Good for you.” Her dad nods. Then he asks, “Carrie? As in your old playmate from elementary school?”

“The one and the same.”

“How’s she doing these days?”

“Let’s see - richer and meaner than ever before.”

“Well if her boyfriend ditched her for you, then of course she wouldn’t like you,” Carlos says.

Julie shoots him a glare. “Nick didn’t break up with Carrie over me. He probably broke up with her because she’s not a nice person.”

“Who’s not a nice person?”

Julie nearly jumps out of her skin as she turns to see Tía walk in, a crockpot in her hands. She sets it down in the middle of the table.

“This old friend of mine.”

“Whose boyfriend broke up with her for Julie,” Carlos adds, a mischievous smile on his face.

“Did not,” Julie groans. Tía sets her hands on her hips.

“You have a boyfriend now?” Her eyes dart over to Julie’s dad. “Did you know? Have you met him?”

“They’re just friends,” he says. Julie is so grateful she could hug him.

“Mhmm. Just friends. That’s what they always say.” Tía points at Julie with a serving spoon. “Do we need to have the talk?”

“No!”

“What talk?” Carlos asks.

Julie’s dad spreads out his arms. “And I’m shutting this conversation down right now. Why don’t we sit and enjoy the wonderful dinner your aunt has brought us?”

Thankfully the subject is promptly dropped and their conversation turns to other topics. Carlos talks about his soccer practice and his 3D design class, enthusiastically telling them about the scale Death Star replica he’s going to make. Julie’s dad talks about this new camera he’s going to invest in and Tía gives them all the dish on her pilates group. Julie sits back and basks in the feeling of family.

It’s the first time in days that she’s slowed down and simply existed in the present. Between trying to help the boys escape and game and her own struggles with Flynn and Nick and the music program, she’s been running at full speed. It’s nice to take a break.

Julie is helping Tía load up the dishes after dinner when her phone buzzes in her pocket. She pulls it out to see a couple texts from Nick. A GIF he made of a dancing guy with his own face pasted on top makes her laugh.

Tía points at her with the soapy sponge. “I know that laugh, mija. That’s how it always starts. You like this kid, don’t you?”

Julie sets her phone to the side. “Yeah, I do.”

“And he’s a nice kid?”

“Really nice. He was there for me after Mom - “ She cuts off. No matter how many times she’s said the words, they never get easier.

Tía’s eyes soften. “Good. You deserve some happiness in your life.” She turns back to the dishes. “I heard that your homecoming dance is coming up next week. Do you have a dress?”

“Not yet.”

“Maybe we can go dress shopping tomorrow, unless you’re busy.”

Julie smiles. “Yeah. That would be nice. I’d really enjoy that.”

“Good. Invite that friend of yours, too - I like her.”

Julie pulls her phone back out to text Flynn. “I will. Thanks, Tía.”

Her aunt leans over and kisses her on the forehead. “ _No problema_.”

-

The last thing Julie wants to do after a really good day is get sucked back into a video game where she’s being hunted, but she promised the boys she’d help them get out and that’s what she’s going to do. The faster she breaks them out, the faster her life returns to normal.

And the more time and energy she’ll have to focus on things like her blooming relationship with Nick.

The game resumes where she last paused it, on the edge of the cliff. She pulls out her map and leads the boys back to the yellow path. For her it’s been an entire day since Reggie’s first death and the stress of being chased, but for the boys it’s been only minutes. They’re tired and worn down as they hike.

“You seem extra perky today,” Reggie remarks as they walk.

“Out of all the words in the English language, you chose the word ‘perky?’” Alex asks, shaking his head.

“How was life in the real world?” Luke asks, the longing in his voice impossible to miss. 

“It was good.” Julie can’t quite hide her smile as she thinks back to her and Nick’s project session and the way they rocked out in the car on the drive to her house.

“Oh, I know that smile,” Reggie says, pointing. “You’ve got a crush.”

“Whaat?”

Alex nods solemnly. “It’s true. It’s the same look Reggie gets every time he sees a girl.”

“Is it that guy you were telling us about the other day? The one that was dating the popular girl?”

“Not that it’s any of your business, but yes.”

“And now he likes you?”

“Maybe.” Julie shrugs. She’s hyper aware of Luke walking a few paces up ahead, being unusually silent. Still, she knows she has to give Alex and Reggie something for them to stop hounding her. “I’m helping him with his history project.”

They walk for the rest of the day. They’re nearing the end of the yellow path and getting closer to a hidden section of the map. Julie wonders what horrors await them for the next stage in their journey.

As the sun starts to set, they find a place to camp. They’ve done this enough times that they’ve settled into a rhythm, each doing their unofficially assigned chores. Julie finishes hers first. Luke has been acting weird all day, so when he goes off in search of firewood, she follows him.

“Are you okay?” she asks once they’re a little aways from the others. “You’ve been really quiet.”

“Am I okay?” He turns around quickly and she takes a step back, surprised by the anger in his face. “I’m stuck in a video game that I have no control over and the one person who does have control doesn’t seem to take it seriously!”

“How am I not taking it seriously?” she demands.

“You come and go as you please and you don’t mind taking your time with it. Our lives literally freeze when you pause the game. Do you realize that?”

“Of course I do!”

“But you don’t get it! Your life keeps going, whether you’re in the game or not. Our lives stop. We don’t exist when you’re not with us. We’ve been stuck in this game for over a month and instead of taking the time to get us through it you’re busy going on dates and messing around.”

“Seriously? This is all about the date? Which wasn’t even a date, for your information.”

He throws his hands up in the air. “No, it’s not about the date! It’s about you not understanding that we’re literally losing weeks of our lives trapped in here while you get to live the best of both worlds!”

“I don’t have two worlds. I don’t have two lives. I have one. And it’s in reality. Sorry that not everyone can just drop out of school and run away from their families!”

Luke’s jaw clenches. “You don’t get it.”

Julie feels a wave of anger rise through her own chest. She can’t remember the last time she felt so strongly. “Yeah, I guess I don’t. But I don’t have to get it. I don’t have to be here. I don’t owe you or the others anything! I’m doing this because it’s the right thing to do, and I’m going to do it on my terms.”

Luke crosses the distance between them, standing only a couple inches away from her. She has to look up at him and she tries her best to keep her face steady, even though being so close to him, even in an argument, makes her feel all sorts of things she wishes she didn’t.

“Just because music is the most important thing to us doesn’t mean it’s the only thing important to us,” Luke says. There’s no ire in his voice, just a taut tension, like a snake ready to strike. “We all have people that matter to us, and every extra day we’re stuck in here is another day they’re worried out of their minds, thinking the worst has happened.”

Julie swallows hard. He’s right - she hadn’t thought of it in that way before. If she were to disappear for over a month, her family would go crazy with worry. She can’t even begin to imagine what it would do to them, and she doesn’t want to.

Julie takes a step back, putting space between them. Her voice is soft. “I’m sorry, Luke. I didn’t realize.”

He stares at the ground, as if it has answers for him. Without looking up, he nods. “Me too. I shouldn’t have yelled. Your life is important, too.”

“I said I was going to get your guys through this, and I meant it.” She pauses, then takes another step back. She’s getting the vibe that he wants to be left alone. “I’m going to go back to camp.”

She doesn’t wait for his response. As she walks through the darkening trees, she can’t ignore the way her heart twists in her chest. Although Luke was wrong to yell at her, he was right about her not taking this seriously enough. His words echo in her head: _We don’t exist when you’re not with us._ It’s impossible for Julie to fully comprehend that, even if she’s experienced it herself. Even when she leaves the game without pausing and it goes on, it’s still not their real lives. They’re trapped in this horrible, scary, foreign world 24/7. Julie at least gets enough breaks to keep her sanity intact.

Reggie and Alex are sitting around the fire when she rejoins them. They both glance up, trying - and failing - not to look curious.

Julie sits on a log and rests her chin in her hands. “You heard?”

“Some,” Reggie says. “Where’s Luke?”

“I don’t think he wants to be around anyone right now.”

Alex’s expression is one of worry. “None of us should be alone here. It’s too dangerous.”

“Was there someone you guys left behind when you got sucked into the game?” Julie asks. “Someone important?”

“Our fourth band member, Bobby,” Reggie says. “He was our best friend.”

“We all had some other friends,” Alex adds. “And our families, I guess, but Bobby was the only one we were close with.”

Julie nods. Bobby could be the person Luke was referring to, but she has a feeling there’s someone else in his life that’s important. Someone he’s upset enough about being separated from to yell at her for.

Reggie and Alex stay up for a couple hours waiting for Luke but eventually they fall asleep. Julie stays up and keeps watch, her machete always in reach.

Luke returns in the middle of the night. He doesn’t say anything, doesn’t even look her way, just grabs his bedroll and curls up. 

Julie tells herself it doesn’t hurt as much as it does.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All rights belong to the creators and writers of Julie and the Phantoms (2020). I take no credit, and I do not mean to break any copyright rules. This is simply a work of fiction made for enjoyment. No money is being made.
> 
> Rating: K+
> 
> Author's Note: Not me updating in the middle of my German exam...anyways, I'm super excited about getting Alex and Reggie's official last names so here's an update to celebrate!

**Chapter 10**

Julie’s calves strain as she forces herself up the hill. In the map in her hand, the green dots indicating where their positions are are nearing the end of the yellow path and the edge of the uncovered part of the map. They’ve crossed two thirds of Jumanji now and have only lost a life each, with the exception of Julie who still has all of hers.

What lies beyond the hill, she doesn’t know. It’s long and steep and all she can see at the top is the clouds overhead.

Luke and Reggie are the first ones to reach the top. They stop and gaze around and Luke leans into Reggie’s side, resting his arm on his shoulder.

Alex and Julie catch up to them a minute later. Julie’s jaw drops as she sees the world beyond.

Gone are the forests and plains of the Jumanji they’ve been crossing. This new part of the world consists of a large mountain range stretching as far as the eye can see. Snow caps the mountains and the peaks disappear into the clouds.

“We have to cross that?” Reggie whispers.

Julie looks down at her map, a new section of which is freshly revealed. A yellow path extends straight overtop of the mountains. She doesn’t understand until she looks back up and sees the small wooden hangar at the base of the mountains.

“Look.” She points. “There’s a helicopter. We’re flying over it.”

All the boys breathe a sigh of relief. “Good, cause that would take days, if not weeks,” Reggie says.

“Quick question,” Alex says. “Does anyone actually know how to fly a helicopter?”

“We’ll figure it out,” Luke says after a moment of silence. “Let’s get down there first.”

Walking down the hill is, of course, much easier than hiking up it in the first place. As they near the mountains, the humidity which has plagued them the entire game begins to lighten. Julie complained inwardly about her clothes being too warm the whole time, but now she’s dreading them not being warm enough.

Tall grass spotted with big bushes and small clumps of trees make up the land between them and the hangar. As they get close, a small group of men in black uniforms comes into view. They’re sitting around a fire outside the front of the hangar, playing cards and chatting.

“Reggie and I will take care of the guards,” Luke says. “There might be more in the hangar, so wait for us to signal before you two follow.”

Neither Julie nor Alex has a better plan, so they nod and crouch behind a bush. They watch through gaps in the branches as Reggie and Luke creep closer to the men.

They split up, each approaching from a different side. They move in sync, jumping forward and taking out two guards each before the others realize what’s happening. In less than a minute, all the guards are lying unconscious on the ground. 

Reggie darts inside the hangar while Luke waits outside, his hands curled up into fists. There’s a shriek and a moment later a man flies through the side of the hangar, his body smashing through the wood. Another man runs out behind him, only to run straight into Luke.

A few seconds later, Reggie and Luke wave to them. Julie and Alex run out from their hiding place and meet them by the hangar. Julie tries to avoid looking at the men on the ground. She knows they’re NPCs and not real people, and she knows the boys didn’t seriously hurt them anyways, but it’s still disturbing.

Luke throws open the large doors, revealing the helicopter. It’s just big enough for six people - the maximum amount of avatars that can be in play. Luke climbs into the cockpit, Julie into the co-pilot seat, and Reggie holds out a hand to pull Alex into the back.

Luke’s hands hover over the controls. He glances around, his brow furrowing.

“I thought my avatar’s instincts might take over, like at the temple,” he says. “But I’m not feeling anything.”

“None of us has pilot as one of our skills,” Julie says. “But maybe it won’t be that hard. I mean, this is supposed to be a video game, right?”

Alex leans forward between them. “We only have one try,” he says. “If we crash, we all lose the last life we can lose. We’ll have to restart the game.”

They all sit back for a moment, the implications of what they’re about to do sinking in. 

“We have to do it,” Reggie says. “Julie’s map shows us that this is the route. We have to at least try.”

Luke reaches over and turns the engine on. His hands hover back over the other controls, not sure exactly what to do next. Julie has a deep sinking feeling in her stomach that this isn’t going to end well.

Luke is just reaching for the level when they hear a shout over the sound of the engine blades. Alex leans up and presses his face to the window. A second later, he turns to them and slices across his neck with his hand. Luke takes the hint and turns the engine off. He doesn’t say anything, but Julie can tell he’s relieved.

“What is it?” she asks, turning in her seat.

Alex opens up the door and a familiar figure comes running up. “Willie!” Alex says in greeting. He throws his arms around him. Willie seems surprised at first, but then he returns the gesture.

“What’s up?” Reggie asks, exchanging a special bro handshake with him. “Long time no see.”

“I came to warn you guys.” Willie looks to the cockpit and nods at them. “Hey, Luke. Hey, Julie.”

“Warn us about what?” Luke asks. 

“You can’t fly the helicopter. You’ll die. I know it’s the easiest way over the mountains, but without the pilot avatar you’ll fail.”

“How do you know?”

Willie’s face is grim. “Because I’ve seen it happen way too many times.”

Julie pulls out her map. “This is the only route I have. It could take us weeks to get across the mountains by foot, and we don’t have the supplies.”

“There’s another way.” Willie makes a motion for the map. After a second of hesitation, Julie hands it to him. He does something she can’t see and when he hands it back, there’s a second yellow path that winds around the mountains. 

“How’d you do that?”

He shrugs. “Game cheat. When you’ve been in as long as I have, you pick up some things.” He glances behind him. “We have to go. Caleb will send more men when he realizes you’ve made it this far.”

Alex’s eyes brighten. “You’re coming with us?”

“No, but as Julie said, you don’t have the supplies to get across the mountains. I know somewhere we can hide and you can get the supplies you need.”

Willie jumps out of the helicopter, the others following close behind. He leads them down a rough trail that winds towards the mountains. Alex walks next to him and they talk quietly among themselves. Julie, Luke, and Reggie hang back, giving them space. Even ten feet away, Julie can feel the tension between the two. She wasn’t with the boys the first month they were stuck in the game, so she has no idea exactly what happened between Alex and Willie, but she can tell that there’s something between them.

It takes them an hour to reach Willie’s place. It’s a small, homey cabin at the very base of the mountains, hidden by the trees. The inside is small and sparsely decorated yet warm and comfortable. There’s a bed pressed up against the far wall, a wooden trunk covered in a stack of blankets, a roaring fire set in another wall, and a table with six seats near a small kitchenette.

Willie spins around and raises his arms. “Home sweet home,” he says. “Well, one of my homes. I have a few of these set up around Jumanji.”

“This place is awesome!” Reggie says, sliding into a rocking chair in front of the fire. “Can’t believe you’ve been holding out on us for so long!”

Alex, his hands shoved deep in his pockets, looks over at Willie. “You live here all by yourself?” he asks.

Willie plops down on his bed, his smile stretching a little too tightly across his face. “Yeah! It’s not so bad, though. People like you guys come through every once in a while and shake things up.”

Julie remembers the uneasy feeling she had the first time she met Willie. She doesn’t think he’s a bad person by any means, but there’s something in the way he looks at her in particular that sends up warning flags. With the boys he’s easy-going and fun. With her, it’s like she’s a mystery he can’t solve.

When he first met them, he had said no one had ever joined a group once they were in the game and no one had ever had control over the game. Julie wonders whether he knows why - and how much, in fact, he does know about the game.

She doesn’t ruin the mood by asking any of those questions, though. The boys are happy to be around Willie, Alex especially, and she would be lying if she said she wasn’t relieved to be in a safe place for once.

“Here.” Willie stands and walks over to the little kitchen area. “I’ll get some food started. You guys can stay the night and head out into the mountains tomorrow morning.” He looks over at Alex. “Your avatar has nature powers, want to come with me to go out and check the traps and scavenge?”

“Yeah, that would be great.”

Willie nods over Luke. “Would you mind bringing in some firewood from the stack outside? It’s piled up against the outhouse.”

Willie, Alex, and Luke head out. Reggie and Julie start rearranging their bedrolls and blankets on the floor for the night. 

An hour later, everyone is sitting around the table, their stomachs and hearts full. Even though Julie has had plenty to eat and rest in real life, she still feels the pain from her avatar’s empty stomach and weary muscles when she comes back in the game. She’s also aware that the boys have been pretty stressed and worn out mentally from constantly being on the run. Her mind gets a break from the stress of Jumanji when she goes to the real world, but the boys don’t have that.

Willie’s home is a place of laughter and friendship. They stay up late talking about their adventures in Jumanji and rehashing memories from the boys’ first month in the game. They had told Julie that they’d wandered about a lot in the first week before they found the village, but they’d never told the stories in detail. She’s bent over and holding her stomach in laughter at their escapades. Willie has a few stories of his own from previous groups of players. After hearing them, Julie is glad that she’s stuck with Luke, Alex, and Reggie.

“So how does it work?” she asks after a while. “How does the game suck people in?”

Willie shrugs. “I don’t know exactly. The villain, Caleb - he’s a real person, not a game character. He controls it. But I don’t know how it works or where he got the power.”

“And how did you end up getting stuck here permanently?”

Willie hesitates. Alex makes a motion as if to reach out to him and then stops himself. Everyone is watching carefully. 

“I started playing the game by myself,” Willie says. “There was no hope of winning. I realized that from the beginning. You guys know how hard it is with four. My options were to either try and inevitably fail, which would lead to - well, I’m not sure, but probably death - or to live in the game. I stayed in the tavern for a while and Caleb came in search of me. He didn’t understand why I wasn’t playing his game. I plead my case and he offered me a deal.”

“What kind of deal?” 

“I swore I wouldn’t play the game as intended and he would leave me alone. I don’t have to worry about losing lives and I can just be myself.” Willie shrugs. “I didn’t have much of a life in the real world so I wasn’t losing too much by staying here.”

“So you’re not an avatar?” Alex asks. “This is what you really look like?”

Willie nods. He forces a smile. “This is me.”

“Doesn’t it get lonely?” Reggie asks. “You meet people and then they leave after a few days or weeks?”

“Yeah, I guess. But it’s better than the alternative.”

“Will you get in trouble for helping us?” Alex’s eyebrows are pulled forward. “If your deal is to not play the game, isn’t helping us in violation of that?”

Willie stares at him for a moment before looking away. “I don’t know. Caleb hasn’t come after me for it yet. I think I'm safe as long as all I’m doing is giving advice and tips. But that’s why I can’t go with you.”

Julie’s heart aches for Willie. After hearing his story, all her concerns are swept away. Willie is just a lonely guy who’s stuck in a video game for eternity. She hates that she can’t help him, but she’s definitely going to get Luke, Alex, and Reggie out. No matter the cost.

“How long have you been in here?” she asks, her voice soft.

Willie shrugs. “I’m not sure. I stopped counting a long time ago. Time works differently here. Maybe a few years? I was just a kid when I first started playing.”

Silence falls over the group. Willie forces a smile, claps his hands, and stands. “It’s pretty late. You guys should probably get some sleep before you head out. It will take you at least a week to cross the mountains, and it’s no easy trip.”

Julie knows she’s taking a risk by falling asleep in the game, but she can’t help it. Willie’s cabin is so safe that she can’t imagine anything bad happening while she’s inside.

When she wakes up in the morning, the sun shining through the dusty window and into her eyes, she’s still in the game. Her avatar’s body feels better than it has since the first day after resting and eating. Luke and Reggie are still sleeping and Willie and Alex are gone.

She stretches and carefully steps over the boys’ bodies. She goes out onto the porch, Where Willie has a crude swing hung up using rope and a plank of wood. The air is fresh and cool and she breathes it in deeply.

About half an hour later Alex and Willie appear, walking and talking together, their hands carrying baskets from scavenging. They both have wide smiles on their faces and Julie is happy for them. Then she remembers that they’re leaving today and probably won’t see Willie again and her heart goes out to both of them.

When Luke and Reggie wake up, they all eat breakfast together out on the porch. The bright mood from last night carries over. Julie has the sudden realization that even though she’s eager to be free from this game, she’s really going to miss being around the boys. Even in their darkness moments here they’ve been full of heart and energy. There’s such a wholesome and positive vibe that follows them around everywhere.

Flynn and Nick are Julie’s friends in real life, and she wouldn’t trade them for anything. But being with the boys here creates a desire deep within her to never let them go. Why can’t she have both in her life?

Once they’ve finished eating, Willie leads them back inside and opens up his trunk. He pulls out stacks of fur coats, hats, gloves, and boots as well as other mountaineering equipment. It settles in now just how much more difficult their journey is about to become.

“I believe in you,” he says as he hands out the supplies. “Watch each other’s backs and remember your avatar’s powers.” He pauses in front of Alex, holding his eyes. “And be careful.”

They all suit up. The furs are too warm now, but Julie takes one look at the snow on the slopes of the mountain and knows that she’ll appreciate them all too soon. They all give Willie a hug in farewell and thank him for his help before setting off, following Julie’s map.

With each step, Julie feels dread building up inside of her. She doesn’t think Caleb’s men will come for them in the mountains, but only because they don’t have to. The mountains themselves will prove deadly enough.

She has to look down at her map and reassure herself that once they cross the mountains, there’s only a small section of the map left uncovered - no doubt the section where they’ll fight Caleb, restore the gem, and break free of this video game.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All rights belong to the creators and writers of Julie and the Phantoms (2020). I take no credit, and I do not mean to break any copyright rules. This is simply a work of fiction made for enjoyment. No money is being made.
> 
> Rating: K+
> 
> Author's Note: For those who may have lost track, Julie has been in the game for 3 weeks now but only 1 week has passed in the real world (as of the end of this chapter)

**Chapter 11**

The next three days in the real world pass quickly, for Julie spends more than twice the amount of time in Jumanji.

On Saturday she’s in the game for a whole day in the two hours before Tía takes her and Flynn dress shopping and she’s gone for three days between when they come back and when she finally goes to bed.

One Sunday she goes to mass with her family in the morning and then is gone two days in the afternoon. In the evening, she takes a much-needed break to spend time with her dad and brother, as well as to catch up on the pile of homework that has been accumulating. 

On Monday, she goes to school before spending another two days in the game. It’s spirit week at school, and the theme of the day is Pajama Day. She and Flynn bought matching onesies on Saturday and Julie enjoys lounging around a little too much. After suffering in the cold mountains in scratchy and heavy furs, the soft and warm footie pajamas are just too much. She falls asleep in every one of her classes. Luckily she doesn’t get in trouble, for she’s not the only one.

In the game, the stakes are higher than ever. Julie thinks that every stage of the mountains is the worst, yet the next one always continues to unpleasantly surprise her. She and the boys lose a day during a violent ice storm when they’re stuck hovering under a frail overhang. It’s too wet for them to start a fire so they huddle up close to each other for warmth.

“What do you think is going to happen when we win the game?” Alex asks, his voice nearly lost in the gales of the storm in the background.

“We’ll return to our lives,” Luke says.

“Yeah, but will the game spit us back out in the basement of the Orpheum? Or will we return to the world wherever the game controller is?”

“And will it spit us back out on the same day we joined the game or will we return to the present day?” Reggie asks. 

A terrible thought occurs to Julie. She’s almost too scared to voice it. “Will you guys have any memory of being here? Or will it all be like a bad dream?” Her voice drops to a whisper. “Will you remember me?”

All the guys object at once.

“Of course we’ll remember you,” Alex says.

“How could we not remember the girl who saved us?” Reggie asks.

“I could never forget you, Julie,” Luke says.

Despite the icy winds swirling around them, Julie feels warm from the inside. She’s come to love these three idiots she’s been stuck with and she’s glad they feel the same. Despite all their ups and downs, at the end of the day they’re a team.

Julie has lost a lot in her life. She’s lost more than most people her age. Her fear of losing even more has kept her from doing a lot in the past year. As twisted and awful as this game is, she’s thankful to it for bringing her the boys.

-

The next day, the storm has only mostly abated. Heavy fog lies around them and their feet sink knee-high into the snowdrifts. Every step is a painful, forceful slog. Julie is thankful for the boots Willie gave them, but even they’re not tall enough to keep all the snow out. She doesn’t think she’s felt her toes in days.

The going is slow. They all hike in silence, not having the energy to speak. The air is cold enough that it hurts her unprotected face. As all of them have lived their entire lives in California, they suffer especially hard. 

At the moment they’re crossing a narrow pass, with a mountain wall on one side and a steep slope on the other. It’s about ten feet wide, which is just wide enough for Julie to have some semblance of safety. Still, a wrong step could send them tumbling over the side.

The mountain suddenly rumbles around them. In front of her, Luke staggers and falls to his knees. Reggie drops into a crouch and Alex falls over on his side. Julie twists her hiking stick deep into the snow and holds on tightly.

There’s silence for a second and then a loud roaring sound, almost like a wave. For once, the boys catch on quicker than she does.

“Avalanche!” Alex shouts. He and the boys start crawling to the nearest overhang. With the deep snowdrifts, Julie can only see the tops of their heads.

She takes a step and another rumble shakes her precarious balance. By the time she crawls onto her knees, she sees a wave of pure white coming towards her. She glances over to the side, where the boys are pressed tightly against the wall of the mountain.

“Julie!” Alex yells. 

She pushes herself up on her feet and lunges towards them. One step, two steps, the roaring growing louder…

Luke reaches out. She thrusts her hand towards him just as the wave of snow snatches her away. She’s not sure if the screams she hears are theirs or her own. She tumbles over a few times, the thick snow obscuring her vision and choking off her air supply.

It’s one of the slowest deaths she’d had since she started the game and the first death since she joined up with the boys. When she falls out from the sky a few minutes later and lands on the newly deposited snow, she’s deeply shaken by the encounter.

The boys swarm her immediately. She pushes them away, the claustrophobia reminding her too much of being suffocated by the snow. “I’m fine,” she assures them. “Now we’ve all lost one life.”

“That was awful,” Reggie says, a shiver running through his body. “I never want that to happen again.”

“Here,” Alex says. He digs through his backpack and brings out a coil of rope. “Let’s tie ourselves together. That way we won’t get lost in the low visibility and if someone falls the other three can anchor them.”

It’s a good plan that Julie kicks herself for not thinking of earlier. They tie the rope around their waists at one meter intervals before setting off again.

The day seems to drag on forever. After an entire week of trekking through the mountains, Julie never wants to see snow again. Her body aches from constant exertion and she’s sick of the cold that seeps straight into her bones. After dying, her spirit is dampened somewhat.

The boys must sense her weariness because when they stop for the night, they spent a couple hours telling her stories from their band. Apparently they used to get into a lot of trouble because they didn’t always officially book events.

“We played in the front of clubs, we played in the back of clubs, we even played book clubs,” Luke says. 

“Book club was the best!” Reggie exclaims. “Not so great for getting an audience, but they always had the best snacks.”

“I probably wouldn’t have read a single book after quitting high school if not for the book clubs,” Alex admits.

“Wait - you guys actually participated in the book clubs?” Julie is incredulous.

“That was the deal,” Reggie explains. “If we read the books and participated, we got to play. I don’t think our music was their cup of tea, exactly, but they were very supportive.”

“I think they preferred our music to Luke’s unending metaphors,” Alex says.

“What can I say? Once I start, I can’t stop.” Luke grins. “I would rock an English class if I ever took one again.”

“Remember Miss Caroline’s snacks?” Reggie asks. “She made that awesome french onion dip. I think I still have the recipe card in my stuff somewhere.”

“Was this like, a teenage book club, or...?”

Alex shakes his head. “A bunch of older, middle-aged ladies and one guy.” He looks at the guys. “Remember how Mrs. Nancy kept trying to set up Luke with her daughter?”

Reggie laughs. “Oh, yeah. But her daughter was totally obsessed with you, Alex. Poor girl.”

“Wait - you went to a book club full of Karens?” Julie laughs. “That’s hilarious.”

“No, there was just one Karen, actually,” Alex corrects.

Julie stares at him. “It’s - it’s not literal. It’s an expression.” She glances around at the other guys. “You seriously haven’t heard it before? It’s all over the internet.”

“Yeah, uh, we don’t spend a lot of time on the internet,” Luke says. “Too busy with our music.”

Julie already knew the guys were weird, but she adds this to the list. What kind of Gen-Z teenagers barely use the internet? It’s almost like they were from a whole other world, even before they joined the game.

“So what kind of music do you guys listen to on your own?:

“We like all the good, classic rock bands,” Luke says. “Led Zeppelin, Queen, Rolling Stones.”

“Nirvana’s pretty good, too,” Reggie says. “But they’re more modern.”

 _Yeah, if “modern” means the nineties,_ Julie thinks to herself. Instead she just nods.

“Those are all pretty good bands. My mom was really into the rock scene when she was younger. She introduced me to all of them.”

“Then your mom has great taste,” Alex says. Julie doesn’t have the heart or the energy to correct him.

“What about you?” Luke asks.

“I like a lot of alternative and punk rock bands. Panic! At The Disco, Fall Out Boy, Florence and the Machine, Imagine Dragons. And of course, Trevor Wilson. He’s the one who got me into that genre of music.”

Outside, the wind begins to pick up. The clouds in the sky are too thick for the moon to shine through and without a fire, everything is dark. Julie can hardly see the boys even though they’re right next to her.

“I can’t wait until we get out of these mountains,” Reggie says. “They’re giving me the creeps.”

Julie pulls out her map. Even in the darkness, the yellow path glows faintly. She follows it with her finger. “Good news, then. I think tomorrow’s our last day here.”

-

“Earth to Julie.”

Julie blinks her eyes and raises her head. Shoot. Did she fall asleep in class again?

“I’m starting to get seriously worried about you,” Flynn says. They’re sitting in one of the practice rooms that shoots off from the music room. Julie sits up straight and checks out Flynn’s outfit. She’s decked out in all red, white, and blue, which must mean that it’s Tuesday and the theme is USA day.

Julie realizes with a jolt that she can’t remember whether she was dreaming about being in the game or if she someone blocked out the first few hours of today from her memory. The thought terrifies her - she knew the game was messing with her mind the first time it sucked her in, but now she’s worried there might be lasting effects. Maybe the longer she’s in the game, the worse it gets.

She’s suddenly thankful that it’s almost over.

“I’m - I’m fine.” Julie tucks her hair behind her ear. “Sorry. What were you saying?”

“I was running through my audition piece with you, but now I’m just concerned.” Flynn slides across the piano bench to sit right in front of her. “What’s going on, Julie?”

Julie shakes her head. “I’m sorry, Flynn. I don’t know what’s going on with me.”

Flynn recoils, leaning back. “Yes, you do. But you’re not telling.”

When Julie needs words the most, they fail her. She sighs and drops her hands in her lap. “I’m sorry. I really am.”

“I’m your best friend. Why can’t you tell me?” Flynn frowns. “Does it have something to do with Nick?”

“Nick?” Julie has barely thought about him in days. She realizes that they must have had dance practice earlier today but that she can’t remember it. The memory loss unsettles her even more. “No, not at all.”

“Is it a family thing?”

Julie shakes her head. “No, it’s not - ”

“Then what is it?” Flynn’s eyes sparkle. “You know you can tell me anything, right? You trust me, don’t you?”

“Of course!” Julie takes a deep breath. “I do trust you, Flynn. But I can’t tell you this. Not because I don’t want to, but because I don’t understand it myself.”

Flynn’s lips twist in a strange expression. “But if you do figure it out, you will tell me?”

It will never happen, but that doesn’t mean the statement isn’t true. “Yes. I promise.” Julie reaches for her hands. “You’re my best friend.” She leans back. “Now, I want to hear what you’ve got.”

After Flynn does her song and Julie gives her some tips, Flynn brings up the only other subject that Julie doesn’t want to talk about.

“Your audition is tomorrow,” she says. “Are you going to do anything?”

Once again, the guilt claws up in her stomach. She feels a strange calling to the music she hasn’t felt in a while. For once, she feels like reaching out and playing something.

Then the urge passes as quickly as it came. Even if Julie wanted to audition, she doesn’t have anything prepared. It’s too late. She made her decision weeks ago, even if she hadn’t made it consciously.

“No. I’m taking a break.”

Flynn looks disappointed like she expected her to, but she nods. “At least we’ll still have dance class. Not that we get to talk too much in it, seeing as you’re spending all your time with Nick.”

Julie rolls her eyes at Flynn’s suggestive smile. “Ugh, not again. Seriously, we’re just friends.”

“Sure. And those are just platonic love looks he shoots you all class. Oh yeah, I notice. Carrie’s friends have noticed, too. We’ve been completely blacklisted by her social circle.”

“That hurts so much.” Julie presses her hand to her chest in mock pain. Flynn laughs.

“Dang, Julie, when’d you become so sassy?”

Julie is about to say, “When I met Alex,” but she quickly shuts her mouth. The only thing that would hurt Flynn more than she’s already hurt is to learn that Julie has another whole friend group on the side. Of course Julie didn’t meet them on purpose and she’s not keeping it a secret to spite Flynn, but she’s not sure her friend would see it that way.

As much as Julie wants to continue hanging out with the boys after they escape the game, she’s going to have to come up with a really good explanation of how they met to satisfy Flynn. And now just Flynn, but her dad and Tía as well.

The bell rings, cutting through Julie’s thoughts. She quickly grabs her bag and follows Flynn out of the practice room and into the hallway. Julie still can’t believe that she has a giant black hole in her memory from this morning.

 _I’m going to finish the game tonight,_ she swears. _No matter how long it takes._

Her classes all pass by agonizingly slow. Julie’s pen scratches around her notebook absently. It’s only after she really looks that she realizes she’s sketched out scenes from the game, including the boys - well, their avatars, at least.

“What’s that?” Nick asks, leaning over in their history class. 

Julie’s eyes widen. “It’s, um, just from this video game I’ve been playing.”

“It looks fun. What is it, a safari game?”

“Yeah, something like that.” She quickly closes her notebook and offers him an apologetic smile.

He isn’t deterred. “What’s it called?”

“It’s, uh, called Jumanji. But you probably won’t find it anywhere,” she adds quickly. “It’s a really old video game. I found it in my garage, left over from the previous owners of our house. Honestly I’m surprised it still even works.”

“Yeah, me too. That would have been over fifteen years ago.” Nick frowns. Julie kicks herself. Why is she such a terrible liar?

“So,” he says, thankfully changing the subject. “Our dance is coming along pretty well. I’m not tripping anymore, at least.”

“I told you we’d work it out.”

“Yeah, you did.” 

He smiles and Julie’s heart skips a beat. How, again, did she forget an entire class period with him? 

“I’m looking forward to performing at the dance on Saturday,” he continues. “Are you going to be at the football game?”

 _If I manage to finish the game by then._ “Yeah, probably,” she says. “Flynn likes to go to the homecoming game every year because the team always schedules it against our weakest opponent. She likes to see our team crush whatever poor school comes over.”

Nick laughs a little. “Yeah, it is fun. Our football team isn’t too much better than the lacrosse team.” He pauses and then adds, “Do you guys want a ride to the game? Your house, at least, is on the way from mine.”

The invitation takes Julie by surprise. If she says yes, she’ll be forced to commit. If anyone else was asking, it would be an automatic no. But since it’s Nick, Julie finds all her senses thrown to the wind.

“Yeah, that would be great. Thank you.”

“Cool.” He shoves his hands in his pockets and smiles again. “I guess I’ll see you in class tomorrow.”

“Yeah.”

The bell rings and their class ends. As soon as Nick is out of sight, Julie ducks into the nearest bathroom and rests her forehead against the cool brick wall. Her life is so crazy and out of control right now and most of it is her fault.

If it weren’t for the game, Julie would be going crazy over the fact that Nick wants to hang out with her outside of school. She’d be jumping all over him. Now, though, she barely has the energy to be excited. Not to mention that she has three other teenage boys on her mind all the time and she’s having to lie to her best friend and her family about why she’s so stressed and absent all the time now.

 _It ends tonight,_ she reminds herself. One more day and this will all be over.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All rights belong to the creators and writers of Julie and the Phantoms (2020). I take no credit, and I do not mean to break any copyright rules. This is simply a work of fiction made for enjoyment. No money is being made.
> 
> Rating: K+
> 
> Author's Note: My semester is over so hopefully I'll be able to do a lot of writing during break! I have another Juke story in the works, which I hope to have posted by the end of the year and I'm working on a couple others for different fandoms, which I also hope to post soon.

**Chapter 12**

They reach the base of the mountain by early afternoon. An hour later, they reach the top of a hill where Julie’s map had ended. When they look over it, they’re shocked into silence by what lies beyond.

A white sand beach stretches out in front of them. Crystal blue and green waters shimmer in the sunlight. In the distance, just a green mass, is an island.

Julie pulls out her map. The boys all crowd around her shoulder as the final section unveils itself. The path leads over the water and ends on the island.

“That’s it,” Alex says. “Look. It has a symbol for the statue.”

“So we just cross the water, find the statue, and stick the emerald in the hole?” Luke asks. “Seems simple enough to me.”

“It can’t be. Caleb must have all sorts of traps set up around it, not to mention that he’ll be there himself to defend it.” Julie rolls her map closed and sets it back in her canister. 

“The good news is that we all have one life to spare,” Reggie says. “If we all rush him at once, he won’t be able to kill us all at the same time.”

“There’s no way it’s that easy. He probably has an army of men waiting for us.” Julie starts off in the direction of the beach. The others follow at her heels.

Though her avatar isn’t as fast as Luke or Reggie’s, her determination drives her forward. The sooner this is all over, the better. They’ve all come too far now to turn back. 

A part of Julie had been hoping that there’d be a boat for them on the beach, but she’s also not entirely surprised when there isn’t. She and the boys first strip off all their heavy furs and boots, which they don’t need anymore, and then set to work gathering driftwood.

They use their remaining rope to lash the driftwood together. The final result is a crude raft. If the island were any farther than it is, Julie wouldn’t dare try it out, but she’s the one pushing the boys to work harder and faster.

“Jeez,” Reggie says when he takes a short break. “It’s almost like you don’t want to spend any more time with us.”

“That’s not it at all,” Julie protests.

“Are you sure?” Luke asks. “‘Cause I’m getting that vibe, too.”

Julie reaches into her pack, grabs a marker, and then takes Luke’s arm. She writes out a series of numbers. “There. My phone number. Proof that I’m not trying to get rid of you. Call me when we get out of the game.”

Luke grins and shakes his head at her. “Nice try.”

“What?”

“This isn’t my body. When we get spit back out in the real world, my arm will be blank.”

Julie rolls her eyes. “Then memorize it.” 

“She’s probably got a date with that Nick kid and she’s eager to be out of here,” Reggie teases. When she doesn’t answer, his jaw drops. “Oh, she does!”

“I see you’ve been busy when you’re not in the game,” Alex says, smiling at her. She ignores them and tightens the last knot on the raft.

“Okay. I think we’re good to go.”

Alex, Reggie, and Julie pile on, Alex and Reggie holding roughly-fashioned oars and Julie holding a her walking stick. Luke hesitates on the beach.

“What is it?” she calls. “Don’t tell me you’re getting cold feet.”

He shakes his head. “My character’s weakness is water. Until we step foot on the island, I’ll probably be worse than useless.”

“It’s just water, I think we’ll be fine.”

Luke reluctantly pushes the raft out into the water before climbing on. He sits in the very middle. His face turns pale and green and Julie realizes that his avatar is seasick. They’re barely bobbing and he’s already out of commission.

Reggie and Alex slowly row them towards the island. The water beneath them gets darker. Julie dips her hand in and is surprised by the frigidness. She’s just pulling her hand back out when something bursts from the surface and flies towards her face.

She lets out a shriek and crawls back as far as she can on the small raft. She watches the sea creature as it floats in the air for a second before falling back down. It looks like a harmless fish except for the large fangs extending from its mouth, as long and thick as her fingers.

She tightens her grip on her stick. The raft bobs precariously from her jerky motions. Alex and Reggie exchange worried glances and Luke holds his stomach and stifles a groan.

They’re halfway between the beach and the island. They just have to survive for a few more minutes.

Julie thinks the fish might be gone because there’s absolute silence for a few seconds. Then all hell breaks loose.

A fish comes flying out of the water right at her face. She swings her stick and whacks it back into the water. Another one flies at Reggie and he uses his oar to knock it away. A third one flies right over Alex’s head as he ducks at the right moment.

The piranha fish start flying from every direction. One lands on the raft, flops over her way, and takes a bite out of her ankle. She picks it up with her bare hand and chucks it away. Her leg stings but she ignores it as she waves her stick around, trying in vain to knock all the fish away.

Julie remembers belatedly that her avatar’s weakness is fighting. There are too many fish and while Reggie and Alex are slowly getting them closer to the island, they’re still too far away.

A horrible idea occurs to her. Julie knows the boys won’t like it - heck, she hates it herself - but she sees no other choice.

“Keep rowing, no matter what!” she shouts at Reggie and Alex. “You have to get to the island.”

Alex’s head whips up. “Julie - ”

She doesn’t wait for him to finish. With a deep breath, she stands and leaps off the raft into the water. For a few seconds, all is quiet and peaceful as her dive takes her deeper underwater.

Then the fish surround her. They latch on, their fangs sinking into soft flesh. Julie screams, her voice nothing but bubbles as she sinks farther and farther into the ocean depths.

A few minutes later she falls from the sky, landing on the soft sand of the island. A few feet away, the boys are ditching the raft and sloshing onto the island. The piranha fish swarm the raft, taking it under with them. Other than a few bleeding bites, the boys are fine.

“What the heck, Julie?” Luke shouts when he sees her. Then he doubles over and throws up on the sand. Luckily they haven’t had very much to eat today. While he succumbs to sickness, Reggie and Alex pick up his train of thoughts.

“You just - fed yourself to the fishes!” Reggie exclaims. “That’s the kind of idea I would come up with! And there’s a reason why we never listen to my ideas!”

Alex crosses the distance between them and grabs her arm. “Are you okay? The fish got me a couple times - I can’t even imagine what it would be like…” he trails off.

Julie takes a deep breath. Yes, she had suffered, but it had ended rather quickly. She doesn’t want to dwell on those dark moments in the water any longer than she has to. She flips up her wrist and sees the two black tallies.

“At least if I die again, I can just reset the game. If I hadn’t jumped off the ship, all of you would be on your last lives right now.” She draws herself up. “I did what I had to. Now let’s go replace this stupid gem and get out of this stupid game.”

“Oh, that hurts.”

The strange voice causes all three of them to whirl around. Standing at the treeline is a tall, dark-haired man wearing a black suit with a black cape and hat. He smiles at them.

“Caleb.” Julie spits out his name like a curse.

“Yes. It is so nice to meet you all. Now tell me, how have you been enjoying my game?”

Luke stomps forward, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. “Not at all,” he says, stabbing his finger at him. “Now let us out.”

“Oh.” Caleb frowns. “I’m sorry to hear that. I thought the kids like video games these days.”

“Not anymore,” Reggie says.

“Well, I hate to be the cause of that.” Caleb clasps his hands together in front of him. “It’s an intricate world, though, isn’t it? I put a lot of thought into it.”

“How about you put a lot of thought into letting us go?” Alex suggests. “We’d be very appreciative of that.”

“Hmm.” Caleb thinks for a moment. “No, that wouldn’t be any fun. You guys are the best players I’ve seen in years. I’ve enjoyed watching your progress.” His dark eyes turn to Julie. “And you, my dear...I’ve heard the most interesting stories about you.”

Julie is so sick of this game. She’s never met this man before, but if he’s the one who created it, then that’s all she needs to know about him. She steps forward until she’s right in front of him. He frowns a little.

“Well I’ve only heard one story about you and it didn’t turn me in your favor. I’m about to give you one more story about myself to remember for the rest of your miserable existence.” She grabs at the machete at her belt and whips it towards him. He jumps a step back, his eyes widening at the sight of the blade. “Now get back. We’re getting out of here.”

Caleb sneers at her. “We’ll see about that.” He waves his hand and he disappears. The boys gasp in surprise, but Julie simply motions for them to follow her as she takes off at a run through the trees.

The statue comes into sight ahead of them. It’s huge, about thirty feet tall, and almost completely vertical stone. The gap for the stone is at the top, where the statue’s eyes would be. She has no idea how they’re going to get up that far.

“If anyone has any ideas, I’m open to hearing them,” she says. She turns to face the boys.

“It might be a moment,” Reggie says. All around them, black-uniformed men are closing in. Reggie’s hands curl into fists. Luke grips his machete tighter. Alex holds an oar out.

Julie’s mind spins, trying to find a way out of this. For the first time, she can’t. There are too many men. Even if Luke and Reggie could take them all out, they still wouldn’t know how to climb up the statue and retrieve the gem.

Her eyes dart to a tree near the statue. “Luke, can your character climb?”

“A little!”

“Climb that tree and try to leap from it to the top of the statue!” She unzips Reggie’s pack and pulls out the glowing gem, tossing it to him. “We’ll hold the men off down here!”

Luke hesitates for a second. She can see in his eyes exactly what he’s thinking: _But your weakness is fighting!_ It doesn’t matter. She’s not any better at climbing and that’s what they need in order to get the gem up. If Luke can’t succeed here and now, they’ll have to restart the game. Even if they can make it back here in a timely fashion - and that’s a big if, because it took them nearly three weeks to get here in the first place - Julie still doesn’t know what they could do differently to defeat Caleb and get the gem in place.

Julie holds out her machete and swings it in front of her. She tries to make her face look intimidating, but she has no idea if it’s working. If it were her own face she knows Caleb’s men would pause, but she only has a vague idea of what Rebecca Cho’s face looks like.

She stands back to back with Alex. Reggie turns on his berserker mode and moves around, twirling and swinging and taking down men with powerful kicks and punches. He takes down two men for every one that she and Alex together take down, but it’s still not enough. Out of the corner of her eye she can see Luke reach as far up on the tree as his weight will allow. It sways dangerously as he tenses, readying to jump. The gem is tucked under one of his arms like a football.

Behind her, she hears a crack and Alex falls down. He returns a moment later, falling from the sky right on top of one of Caleb’s men. The men with guns have had enough of all this fighting and are ready to take matters into their own hands. Luckily the guns they have are single-shot and old fashioned to fit the theme of the game, but they’re still deadly.

Julie hears another crack, and this time she’s the one falling in pain. The bullet hits her side and knocks her to the ground but doesn’t kill her. The pain washes over her again and again. Her eyes blur and for a few seconds she can’t see anything. All she can do is curl up on the ground, clutching her side and squeezing her eyes tightly shut.

When she finally pries her eyes open, the scene is like one from her worst nightmares. She watches as Luke leaps from the top of the tree, reaching out for the statue. His fingers just barely grasp onto the edge as the rest of his body swings over the open air. He strains to pull himself up and there’s another gunshot. The stone right in front of his fingers explodes and he lets go. Julie looks away as he plummets to the ground.

Reggie is covering Alex now, more than aware that he’s on his last life. The knowledge burns itself into Julie’s mind. As much as she hates to admit it - and she truly does - they can’t beat this game. Not here. Not now. Not like this.

If all the boys are going to survive to try again, she has to act before anyone else dies.

She frees one of her hands from around her side and swipes through the air with bloody fingers, unlocking her menu. Her hand shakes so hard that she can hardly control it, but she forces herself to.

She punches the option for _restart game._

-

“Flynn?”

Julie sits in the darkness of the garage, the only light coming from the screen of the old TV. Her dad and Carlos are already in bed and she’d snuck out after she was sure they were fast asleep.

On the other end of the line, the voice is groggy and coarse. “Yeah?”

“Thank God. I need you.”

Flynn’s voice immediately clears up. Julie can imagine her sitting up straight in her bed. “What is it?”

Julie hesitates. She knows Flynn is going to think she’s crazy. She isn’t entirely sure she isn’t crazy herself.

“Remember that thing we were talking about today? The thing I couldn’t tell you about?”

“...yeah.”

“I want to tell you about it. I need your help. But I can’t talk over the phone. Can you come over?”

“Julie, I’d do anything for you. You know that. But it’s midnight!”

“Please? I’ll pay for the Uber myself. This is really important.”

There’s a sigh at the other end. “Only for you,” Flynn says. “I’ll be over in twenty minutes.”

“Good. Don’t come to the house - I’m in the garage.”

“Julie, you’re kind of freaking me out right now.”

_And I’m kind of freaking out myself,_ Julie thinks. “I know. I’m sorry. I’ll explain everything.”

Julie sits in the darkness, her leg bouncing up and down uncontrollably. She can still feel the pain from the gunshot wound in her side. Her heart is still racing from the action. In her mind, she can still see Alex being shot, Luke falling, and Reggie being swarmed by a dozen men. She wonders if she can get PTSD from this game. She also wonders if she’s making the right decision by bringing in Flynn.

Getting her best friend involved in this nightmare is the last thing she wants, but Julie realized something as she lay on the ground, slowly bleeding out. She realized that Caleb knows what they’re capable of now and will be better prepared for their next try. She also realized that there’s a reason for all the avatars. The boys couldn’t navigate without her, the cartographer; they wouldn’t have survived in the wilderness without Alex’s nature skills and they wouldn’t have survived the men chasing them without his animal knowledge of starting the stampede to cover their retreat; they wouldn’t have survived the assassins in the woods or held off the men on the island without Reggie’s berserker mode; and they wouldn’t have made it anywhere without Luke’s leadership instincts. They were so close to winning and yet they were missing the last piece to get that stupid gem in the stupid statue. Whatever that piece is, Julie is certain it has to do with the last avatar.

There is another avatar in play in the game, though. Julie had seen it as being taken but it wasn’t one of the boys. She wonders who it is and what they’re doing. Whatever the case, she hopes it isn’t the final piece they need. They were so close that she can’t imagine they’d need all six.

Exactly twenty minutes later, Flynn is knocking lightly on the garage door. Julie lets her in and leads her up to the loft. Flynn takes a seat on the floor next to her.

“Okay,” she says. “Talk.”

Julie shakes her head. “You’re not going to believe it unless I show you.” She picks up a controller and hands it to Flynn before taking her own.

Flynn stares at it. “A video game? Really? That’s what all this is about?”

“This isn’t just any normal video game.” Julie takes a deep breath. “It’s going to be confusing at first, but I promise that I’ll explain as we go. We’ll meet the others, and they’ll explain, too.”

“Explain what?”

“Jumanji.”

Julie hits the start button on the game. Instead of taking them directly to the jungle, it stops first at the avatar selection screen. Only one is left unclaimed - a guy named Brad Wilson.

“Seriously?” Flynn asks. “I have to be a white frat boy?” She sets down her controller. “Julie, you’re really going off the deep end. I’m calling your dad.”

“No - wait. Please. Just one game. If you don’t understand after that, then you can tell my dad everything.”

Flynn holds her eyes for a minute. Then she picks up the controller, selects Brad Wilson, and everything around them goes dark.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All rights belong to the creators and writers of Julie and the Phantoms (2020). I take no credit, and I do not mean to break any copyright rules. This is simply a work of fiction made for enjoyment. No money is being made.
> 
> Rating: K+
> 
> Author's Note: This chapter was so fun to write! I absolutely love Flynn and she's just as chaotic as the boys (except, unlike them, she has a braincell). Also catch the lowkey luke x reggie and past!luke x alex vibes because even though I'm Juke all the way, I have a soft spot for those pairings as well

**Chapter 13**

The first thing the boys do when they see Julie is rush over and hug her. She returns the gesture, so happy to see them alive. A part of her had worried that she acted too late and they might have lost their last lives.

“I’ve never been so happy to see someone as I am to see you,” Reggie says. If his avatar wasn’t so strong-willed, he probably would be crying. Julie knows she is.

“So we didn’t get it,” Alex says. “We didn’t escape.”

“It was my fault,” Luke says, hanging back a step. “I didn’t jump far enough.”

“It’s not one’s fault,” Julie assures them, taking a moment to look each of them in the eyes. “We just didn’t have all the players that we needed. Now we do.” She steps back and motions at the - oh, God, Flynn’s avatar really _is_ a white frat boy. “Everyone, meet Flynn.”

Even on a foreign face, Flynn’s expressions are unique. Her eyes are wide as she stares at the others. She looks around at their surroundings and then back at Julie. “Julie? Is that...you?”

“Yes.” Julie steps over and takes her hand. “My avatar’s name is Rebecca Cho, but I’m still the same Julie you’ve known for years.” She motions at the others, who are staring at Flynn in wonder. “Flynn, meet the boys.”

Flynn leans over and stage-whispers in her ear, “Julie, not to assume gender, but I don’t think those are all boys.”

“And I’m not actually Asian and you’re not actually white.” Julie points to the guys. “That’s Alex, Reggie, and Luke.” Each of them wave and smile. 

Flynn half-holds up her hand. She turns and shoots Julie another look. “Okay, what is going on here. Where are we? We were just in your garage.” She gasps. “Did someone drug and kidnap us? Are we being trafficked?”

Julie shakes her head. “No, we’re in the video game. It’s like virtual reality, only - well, it is reality.”

“So let me get this straight: we got sucked into a video game.”

“She’s taking it pretty well,” Reggie says. “I’m impressed.”

“Oh, no. I’m totally freaking out.” Flynn’s grip on Julie’s arm tightens until it’s painful. “Please say this is some sort of twisted joke, Julie.”

“Nope.” She unlatches Flynn’s hand from her arm before bruises form. “Now, take a step this way, unless you want to meet the snake face to face.”

“The snake?”

As if one cue, the snake slithers up and hisses. Flynn shrieks, which sounds hilarious coming from her avatar because it’s still high pitched.

“You didn’t say anything about snakes!”

“Ah, he won’t hurt you,” Reggie says. “At this point he’s almost like a friend.”

“We’ve seen him too many times,” Alex says dryly. 

The sound of a vehicle comes through the jungle and the man with the white beard pulls up. By now, Julie thinks she can almost quote his lines by memory. 

With the lack of seats in the caged vehicle, Alex snags the front seat this time (his avatar being the biggest) while Luke, Reggie, Julie, and Flynn crowd in the back. Reggie is sitting on Luke’s lap.

“You said they’re both boys, right?” she once again stage-whispers.

“Yes.”

“Okay. Just checking.”

“You know we can hear when you whisper like that, right?” Alex asks. Flynn sticks her tongue at him, which really surprises him. He shoots Julie a look that almost appears hurt.

“Listen to what the old man says,” Julie urges Flynn. “It’s important.”

The driver gives his spiel about the gem and the curse and Caleb. Flynn listens, her eyebrows furrowed the entire time. When he drops them off, she almost doesn’t exit the car.

Once he leaves them, Flynn digs in her heels.

“Alright. I’m not taking another step until you guys explain exactly what’s going on.” She looks over at the boys. “Like, who even are you? And Julie, what have you gotten yourself into? What have you gotten me into?”

“We’re Sunset Curve,” Luke says. “Tell your friends.”

“What’s a sunset curve? And why should I tell my friends? Ya’ll are crazy, that’s what you are. This whole thing is crazy!”

“Yes, it is!” Julie feels a huge weight lift itself off her chest. “That’s why I couldn’t tell you. I knew you wouldn’t believe me. No one would.”

“Sunset Curve is a band,” Alex explains. “It’s our band. Well, us and one other guy who was lucky enough to not get sucked into the game.”

“So we’re in, like, an adventure game. It sucked us in when we went to play. But why play at all? Why not just leave it alone?”

“We can’t,” Luke says. “Only Julie can come and go. We don’t know why, but that’s the way the game works.”

“We’ve been stuck in here for almost two months,” Reggie says.

Flynn’s eyes shot up. “Two months? Oh, nah. I’m not here for this.”

“We have to win the game in order for them to escape,” Julie continues. “When I called you, we were so close. We were just missing the last avatar and we needed someone to play it so we could finish.”

“So you’re trying to save them. Okay, I respect that.” Flynn takes a deep breath, swinging her arms in the air to complete the motion. “I respect that, but it’s still crazy.” 

Luke starts leading them along the route. They don’t need to look at the map again yet. Reggie falls into step with Julie and Flynn.

“So the rules are pretty simple,” he says. “If you die, you get a little black tally mark on your wrist. You can die twice.”

“We can die?” Flynn’s eyebrows shoot up and she looks over at Julie.

“Yeah. It’s not pleasant.”

“How have you guys died?”

Alex begins the list, counting off on his fingers. “Lion, collapsed temple, falling off a cliff, toxic water, drowning in a bog, gunshot, falling off a statue, avalanche, eaten by piranhas - ”

“Did he just say eaten by piranhas?”

Julie presses her lips together. “Yup. That was me.”

“Did it...hurt?”

“What do you think?”

Flynn shudders. “Alright. But what happens after the second death?”

“You have one more life to try and beat the game with. If you don’t - well, no one really knows what happens, but we think you either get stuck in the game forever or you die in real life.” Reggie flashes a smile. “Fun stuff.”

“Except Julie,” Alex points out. “Julie has the option to restart the game. That’s what happened when we failed. She restarted the game and we’re all back at our full lives.”

“Okay.” Flynn nods. “So, how long is it gonna take us to get through this - a couple of hours? You guys are pros by now, right?”

“Try a few weeks. One, if we’re lucky.” Luke’s voice has a bitter tinge to it.

“Weeks?”

“Time passes differently in the game as in real life,” Julie says. “Sometimes I’ll be in the game for days and only a few hours will pass in the real world. And sometimes I’ll be days in the real world and it’s only a few hours in the game. There’s no pattern that I can tell.”

“So you’ve been in the game for the past week whenever you weren’t at school?”

“Basically.” Julie is relieved that Flynn is calming down and starting to think rationally. She loves her friend, but she can be a tad dramatic at times. “I’ve spent almost three weeks in the game now.”

Flynn shakes her head. “No wonder you were so stressed. I forgive you for everything. Well, except for dragging me into this. I’m waiting to see if I survive before I come to a decision on that front.”

They reach the vehicle in the shed an hour later. As before, Luke drives while Julie navigates. Flynn sits in the back with Alex and Reggie.

“So you said you guys are in a band,” she says. “Are you any good?”

“I see why you two are friends,” Reggie says grumpily. “You’re both so nice.”

“Julie insulted us the first time she heard our playing,” Alex explains. “She called us unoriginal. She thought we were a cover band.”

“You’ve heard them play?”

“When we thought we were trapped in the game and we only had one life each left, we went to the game lobby and got a gig as musicians. Julie wandered in and found us.” Luke glances over at her and smiles. Julie pretends she doesn’t notice the way her heart skips a beat. _It’s just his avatar’s attractiveness,_ she tells herself.

“I thought you guys sounded good,” Julie protests. “I’m just pretty sure I’ve heard the song you were playing before. Or at least one very similar.”

“Julie’s got a perfect ear,” Flynn points out. “She’s never wrong when it comes to music.”

“And here I thought you didn’t know anything about music.” Luke raises an eyebrow.

Flynn opens her mouth, but Julie shoots her a warning look. “It’s not important,” she says. “What is important is figuring out our new strategy. We can’t fail again. Flynn, what’s your avatar’s powers?”

Alex explains to her how she can reveal them. She swipes and Reggie reads her stats out loud. 

_Brad Wilson_

_Strength: 4/5  
Speed: 4/5  
Endurance: 4/5  
Abilities: Climbing_

“And there it is,” Julie says. “Climbing. She’s the one who has to return the gem.”

“This video game isn’t designed very well,” Reggie complains.

“I don’t think Caleb really cares about what we feel about the game,” Alex says. “This feels a lot like _The Most Dangerous Game_.”

“What’s that?” Flynn asks.

“It’s a short story we read in book club once,” Luke says. “It’s about a guy who owns a private island and hunts down his guests for sport.”

“You’re in a book club? How old are you guys, anyway?”

“That’s your question?” Alex glances at Julie, as if asking why her friend is like this. “And we’re seventeen.”

“Ooh.” Flynn sits up straight. “Are you guys cute in real life? And are you single? ‘Cause I don’t have a date to homecoming.”

“Seriously?” Now Julie is the one who turns around. “Priorities, girl.”

“Okay, okay.” Flynn raises her hands. “But please say yes.”

“I feel like this is a trick question,” Reggie says, glancing at Julie. Why are all the boys looking at her for answers? She’s not the expert on everything just because she lucked out on having control over the game.”

“I mean, I want to say yes,” Luke says. He glances at Alex in the rearview mirror.

“I’m gay, so I don’t think it matters to you,” Alex tells Flynn.

“But you would be able to say if Luke and Reggie are,” Flynn points out.

“Oh my gosh!” Julie throws her hands in the air. “Let’s focus on winning this game. If we survive until homecoming, then you can find a date.”

Flynn crosses her arms and settles into her seat. “Nothing wrong with a little multi-tasking.”

Julie sighs and sits back. This is going to be a long game.

-

Willie isn’t at the village, which puts Alex in a sour mood even though he tries to pretend otherwise. They pick up their supplies and continue on.

At the temple, Luke and Reggie go in alone to retrieve the gem. They easily burst out before it collapses around them. They all get back in the vehicle and start off.

The entire round is like a speedrun. Now that they know exactly what they’re going to face and where, it just becomes a simple matter of either avoiding mistakes they made in the first round or repeating their successes. They make it to the two cliffs without losing a life or stirring up the Jumanji natives.

But, as it turns out, not everything is going to run smoothly for them. At the cliffs, the bridge they’d broken on the last run is still broken. They gather around the worn posts, at a loss for words.

“Does your map say anything?” Alex asks after a minute. Julie pulls it out, but the yellow path shows a straight line.

“Nope.” She sighs and puts it back in the canister. “So what now?”

“We climb.” 

Everyone turns to look at Flynn. She’s standing at the edge of the cliff, a coil of rope in her hands. She’s already tied one end around the wooden post. 

“That’s why you guys needed my avatar, right? I’m the climbing person. So we’ll shimmy down, cross the river, and then I’ll climb up the other side and throw down a rope.”

Julie isn’t sure what stuns her more - the idea itself, or that Flynn has picked up on the game so quickly despite her initial reactions.

Reggie raises his hand. “Just one problem. Two, actually.”

“What?”

“My avatar’s weakness is heights and Luke’s is water. We’re gonna be facing both of these.”

“We’ll work through it. This is the only way through, unless you guys want to risk taking days to circumvent and risk getting lost.” Flynn ties the ropes around her chest, her fingers moving like a practiced climber’s. She yanks on her make-shift harness one more time. “Alright. Here goes nothing.”

She turns and jumps off the cliff.

Julie and the boys rush over to look down. The rope unspools as Flynn drops. It catches her suddenly and goes taut. Julie estimates that it’s about sixty to eighty feet. Flynn unties her harness and drops the remaining couple feet. She looks up and waves her arms.

“Here goes nothing,” Julie murmurs to herself. She grabs the rope and starts inching down. Her heart is racing out of her chest but she forces herself to look straight forward and focus on the rope and her hands. She nearly slips a couple times but makes it to the bottom without incident.

When she drops, Flynn runs over and hugs her. “You did it! Now let’s see if the boys can manage as well.”

It takes the boys a while to decide what they’re going to do, apparently. It’s at least five minutes before Julie sees more than their heads peeking out and over. Finally Luke shimmies down with Reggie holding tightly onto his back and Alex brings up the rear. His arms are shaking and he’s sweating buckets when he finally makes it to the bottom.

As it turns out, the river is not too deep. It flows pretty fast, but there’s a tree branch that lies across the middle, not quite reaching the ends on either side. Julie goes first, swimming the short distance between the shore and the tree and grabbing hold of it. She pulls herself along it, slowly crossing the river. Behind her, she hears splashes as the others follow.

When she reaches the end of the tree branch, she realizes there’s a decent distance between the roots and the shore. She pulls herself up onto the tree branch and takes a running dive off, leaping across the distance as much as she can. The current carries her a hundred feet downstream before she reaches shore.

The others experience the same struggles as her. She’s surprised when Luke falls out of the sky and lands beside her, a black tally on his arm. 

“I guess I got lucky that I didn’t drown or get eaten by the piranhas on the raft last round,” Luke says as they wait for the others. “My avatar has so many strengths that it makes sense to have a crippling weakness.”

They all congregate on the shore together and look up at the cliff they still have to climb. As difficult as getting down and crossing the river was, getting up the cliff is still the toughest part. And now they’re all wet, to boot. Flynn takes their last coil of rope and ties it around herself before drying her hands completely and rubbing them together.

“Let’s see my powers in action,” she says, and begins to free climb.

Julie alternates between pacing and watching. Although she knows one death won’t really kill her friend, she’s still worried. But Flynn makes it all the way up to the top, ties the rope around the opposite wooden poles, and tosses it down for them.

Luke goes first, once again carrying Reggie. They make it up safely. Alex goes next. He struggles a lot more, but with Luke helping haul him up, he makes it. They toss the rope back down and it’s Julie’s turn.

She almost can’t do it. The same force that stops her fingers from pressing down on the piano keys keeps her rooted in place on the ground. It takes her several minutes to gather the courage to begin the climb.

Going down was a lot easier than going up. If she slipped going down, it was okay as long as she didn’t let go of the rope. Now every time she slips she reminds herself it’s another few minutes of suffering she’s going to have. Her arms shake from exertion and her hands feel slick on the rope. She has to pause at times, even though she knows it will only wear her out more, just to get her heart beat under some semblance of control.

She has no idea how she does it, but she keeps pushing on. When she gets close to the top, Luke leans over and holds his hand out. Unlike when Reggie fell or when she was swept away by the avalanche, he’s able to grasp her hand and pull her up.

He underestimates his avatar’s strength and he stumbles backwards. Julie falls right on top of him. She goes to push herself up and for a moment their faces are only inches apart. She feels her cheeks redden and she quickly rolls off him.

_It’s just his avatar that’s attractive,_ she reminds herself, but the words are so flimsy that they do nothing. She’s been telling herself that for weeks. She’s been denying the chemistry between them.

Then the logical part of her mind kicks in. Chemistry is something, yes, but it’s not everything. In fact, chemistry is only the beginning. Chemistry is the first building block. Everything that comes after is what defines what that chemistry means. And chemistry doesn’t always mean romantic. She and Flynn have chemistry and it’s why they’re friends. All the boys in the band have chemistry but they’re not head-over-heels for each other.

Once Julie has convinced herself of it, she’s able to appreciate what she just did. She just scaled a freakin’ cliff. By herself. With just a rope. Suddenly the climbing walls at the local YMCA don’t seem too scary anymore.

“Alright,” she says, catching her breath. She pulls out her map. “If we keep up our current pace, we’ll be at the base of the mountains in two days.”

“Not the mountains again,” Reggie groans. “Doing it once was bad enough. Now we know exactly how awful it is.”

“If we want to get out of this game, we have to do it.” Alex crosses his arms. “Besides, maybe Willie can help us again.”

“Who’s Willie?” Flynn asks.

Julie glances at the boys and then back at Flynn. “We’ll tell you along the way. We need to keep moving.”


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All rights belong to the creators and writers of Julie and the Phantoms (2020). I take no credit, and I do not mean to break any copyright rules. This is simply a work of fiction made for enjoyment. No money is being made.
> 
> Rating: K+
> 
> Author's Note: Sorry not sorry in advance for the cliffhanger...

**Chapter 14**

“There it is.”

Julie, Flynn and the boys crouch along the ridge overlooking the mountains and the helicopter shed. Flynn’s eyes widen at the sight of the mountain range stretching into the distance.

“You’re kidding, right?” she says. “We’re not crossing that by foot.”

“We have once already,” Reggie says with a sigh. “And my body still aches.”

“It took us over a week. And I doubt we’ll be able to get through it faster than we did last time.” Julie pulls out her map. She notices the glitch where it sometimes shows another green dot that blinks twice before disappearing.

“Willie’s cabin is about an hour from here,” Alex says. “Hopefully he’s there now.”

“We’ll sneak around Caleb’s men and take the long route to the cabin,” Julie says. “Hopefully we remember the way.”

Like before, a dozen men in black uniforms are sitting around the outside of the shack, playing cards and messing around. Since they don’t need the helicopter, their group creeps around the perimeter and continues on to the mountains.

“I wonder why Caleb even bothers to have men guard it when he knows we don’t have the pilot avatar,” Alex says. “It doesn’t make much sense.”

“I don’t think it makes sense for Caleb to suck people into video games, either,” Luke points out. “Obviously the man is on an entirely different level.”

No one can argue with that. They fall silent as they move around the shack and enter the wooded area.

When Willie’s cabin comes into view, smoke is rising from the chimney. A relieved smile breaks out across Alex’s face. The others fall back and let him knock on the door.

“He lives out here all by himself?” Flynn asks Julie in an undertone. “That’s so sad.”

“About as sad as getting stuck in a video game for years?”

The door opens. Willie’s dark hair is tied back in a loose bun. Surprise flashes over his face when he sees them.

“Alex?” he asks, his face hesitant. Julie remembers that he’s not used to people having the ability to restart the game. He might not be sure that it’s them.

“Yeah!”

“What - what are you doing here?” Willie grabs his arm and flips it over. His eyes linger on his wrist, where his skin is void of any black tallies. “I thought you lost a life.”

“We had to restart the game over,” Alex explains. “Caleb’s men got us while we were trying to put the gem back.”

Willie glances past him, his eyes darting over Luke, Reggie, and Julie before settling on Flynn. “That’s not possible,” he says, his face turning a deathly shade of white.

“Why not?” Julie asks. “This is my friend, Flynn. After we failed, I realized we needed all the avatars to win, so I recruited her to join the game.”

“Recruited is a generous term,” Flynn says. “But yeah. Here I am.”

Willie steps back and shakes his head. For the first time since Julie has met him, he looks genuinely scared.

“Can we...can we come in?” Alex asks.

Willie nods. They all file into the homey cabin. Willie sits down at the edge of his bed, looking as if he’s just seen a ghost.

“So...you were able to do this, Julie,” he confirms. “You have the power to not only restart and pause the game, but also to bring others in.”

“Apparently.” She shrugs. “I don’t know how, but I can.”

Willie stands up abruptly. “You guys have to get out of here now,” he says.

“We just sat down,” Reggie whines.

“If you want to survive, you need to escape before Caleb realizes how powerful Julie is.”

Gone is Willie’s easy going demeanor; gone are his friendly smiles and his laughter. He’s like a coiled wire now, ready to snap at a moment’s notice.

“Wait.” Luke steps forward. “What’s going on?”

“Caleb controls this game, as you know. But he doesn’t see everything all the time. He might not know what Julie is capable of. But the moment he finds out, he’ll change the rules of the game. Unless you get out before he changes it all, you may never get out.”

Flynn jumps to her feet. “Well, I’m all for leaving now.”

“We came to ask for your help,” Luke says. “We are trying to get out of here as fast as possible, but we still have to cross the mountains. Do you have any more gear that we can use?”

Willie’s jaw clenches. He stands frozen, a vein in his forehead pulsing as if he’s having an internal argument. Then he sighs. “We’re not crossing the mountains by foot.”

“We’re not?!” Reggie’s face brightens.

“We?” Alex questions.

“We need to get to the helicopter.” 

Before anyone can ask further questions, Willie is out the door and heading back the way they came. After exchanging confused looks, Alex is the first one following, the others on his heels.

As before, Julie and Alex crouch by the bushes while Luke and Reggie ambush Caleb’s men. Flynn stays with the former group and Willie goes with the latter. Julie can already hear the sound of the helicopter firing up when she and the others emerge from their hiding spot and run towards the shed.

To Julie’s surprise, Willie is sitting in the pilot’s seat of the helicopter, a headset over his ears. Luke and Reggie sit in the back. Julie and Flynn join them while Alex climbs into the co-pilot seat.

“What’s going on?” she shouts over the blades.

Willie turns around. “I’m the pilot!” he shouts. “I’ve always been the pilot.”

Alex’s expression is impossible to read. “I thought you weren’t an avatar. That you’re...you.”

“I am.” Willie sets his hand on a lever. “I’ll tell you the story once I’m in the air.”

The take-off is shaky. Reggie, whose character weakness is heights, rolls up in a ball and sticks his head between his knees. Luke rubs his back, but his eyes never leave Willie.

When they’re safely up in the air and cruising over the mountains, Willie begins his story:

“I was just a kid when I got sucked into the game,” he says. “Nine or ten years old - I don’t really remember anymore. Back then, it wasn’t a video game like it is now. Jumanji used to be a board game. I was playing it by myself and I got sucked in. There didn’t used to be avatars,just little metal figurines with abilities that were different because the game was different.

“Caleb eventually realized that board games weren’t attractive to people, especially teenagers, anymore. He changed the game and I changed with it. In some ways it was a lot better - this version of Jumanji is a lot easier to live in. I found the tavern, where there are real people who stream into the game lobby from the internet. I was able to talk to them and pretend I was one of them. It wasn’t much, but it was better than before.

“Shortly after the game changed, Caleb approached me. He knew how difficult the game was to win without all the avatars and he knew I helped anyone that came by in the hopes that I could someday be freed. He offered me a deal. As long as my help to other players was limited to advice and some supplies, he’d leave me alone and make me invincible. I accepted.” Willie grips the navigation lever so hard that his knuckles turn white. “I’m violating that agreement to help you guys now.”

“But how are you your avatar?” Luke asks.

“The game was different when I was sucked in. I still had my own body. When Caleb redesigned the game, he left me as the first avatar. I inherited the abilities of my game piece, like being able to fly, but my appearance and personality is still the same.”

Alex’s voice is soft when he speaks. “So what happens when Caleb finds out what you’ve done to help us?”

It’s a long time before Willie answers. “I won’t be immortal anymore. And he’ll probably send men after me.”

Julie feels her heart lurch. She doesn’t know Willie well, but what she does know of him makes her feel sympathetic towards him. He’s just a kid who got stuck in this game and can’t get out. Now he’s willing to risk everything for them.

“Why are you doing this for us?” she asks.

Willie glances over at Alex. “Because I like you.” He looks forward again. “You guys seem like genuinely good people. No one has ever escaped, that I know of. I’ve seen way too many people come and disappear. I don’t want you guys to cease to exist.”

Next to Julie, Flynn wipes at her eyes. “This is so sad. Julie, you didn’t tell me this was going to be so sad.”

Willie clears his throat. “It’s going to be a few hours still before we reach the island,” he says. “Caleb will be waiting for you. You guys should probably get some rest.”

Julie doesn’t dare fall asleep, for fear of accidentally leaving the game, but she does lean back against the door of the helicopter and rest. Luke and Reggie fall asleep on the other side and Flynn ties and unties a short length of rope. Up in the cockpit, Alex and Willie talk in low tones. Julie does her best not to eavesdrop.

The air is cold at this elevation. Julie wraps her arms around herself. She tries not to let her stress overcome her. This is their second shot at beating the game. If what Willie says is true, then this is their last chance. They can’t risk Caleb changing all the rules on them.

They hit a few spots of turbulence but Willie pilots them expertly through it. Julie reminds herself how grateful she is that they’re not spending a week walking across the mountains again. While it was definitely a team building activity between her and the boys, it’s not one she’s eager to repeat.

Julie thinks back to her real life - well, her other life. She wonders how much time has passed in the real world. It was past midnight when Flynn had come over to join the game and they’ve been in it ever since - about a week in Jumanji time. She wonders if it’s still nighttime or if days have passed.

When she didn’t pause the game before leaving, her avatar appeared unconscious. The few times her dad found her in the garage while she was playing, he said she was sleeping soundly. If a few days have passed in the real world, does everything think they’re in a coma?

Julie can’t imagine her dad finding her like that. Their family has lost enough. Whatever powers may be, she wills that they finish the game before the night passes.

The thought of ending the game sends an excited trill in her chest. She was determined to finish it tonight, for the rest of her week is jam packed with activities and she didn’t want to continue being torn between the game and reality. Now, while she’s definitely excited, she’s also nervous.

Deep down, she has the feeling that nothing is ever going to be the same again.

Julie sits up and looks out the window. She can see the end of the mountains approaching and the glittering blue of the ocean in the distance. Her heart begins to race as she realizes how close they are. One final showdown.

Julie reaches over and shakes Luke and Reggie awake. “We’re almost to the island,” she says.

Flynn clutches her length of rope tightly between her fingers. “So, what’s the plan?” she asks. “How do we not fail this time?”

“Your job is to put the gem back into the statue. You’ll have to free climb it, and fast.” Julie digs into Reggie’s pack and hands Flynn the emerald. “When you see the statue, run and don’t look back. The others and I will hold Caleb’s men off. We each have full lives, so we can afford to die a couple times.”

“That’s definitely something I like to hear,” Flynn says, a sarcastic edge to her voice. She takes a deep breath, and Julie realizes she’s scared. “Okay. Climb the statue. No problem.”

Julie glances over at Luke and sees that he’s rubbing his wrist. She remembers that he alone has lost a life already. He can only afford to die once.

Willie starts angling the helicopter lower as they break free of the mountains and soar over the ocean. The island extends below them, looking innocent and inviting from above. If only Julie didn’t know the horrors that lie below.

Everyone crouches by the doors, readying to bust out. Julie clenches her machete tightly in her hand. Her character weakness may be fighting, but it won’t be today. She’ll force herself to overcome it.

Whatever happens, they are escaping the game this time.

The helicopter has hardly touched on the ground when the bullets start. They drop out of the doors and onto the ground, army-crawling forward through the brush. Willie maneuvers the helicopter so the blades slice through a few thin trees that fall onto their enemies. 

The sound of the helicopter is deafening in Julie’s ears. She pushes forward. She can see the statue ahead, taunting them with its nearness. Around it are a few dozen men with a variety of weapons. At least twice as many as last time.

Reggie, now recovered from his altitude sickness, springs into action. With his berserker mode on, he’s nearly untouchable. He flies through their ranks, drawing fire from the others as they get into position and clearing a path for Flynn. She leaps onto the statue and begins scrabbling upwards. 

Julie, Luke, Alex, and Reggie circle the base of the statue, holding off Caleb's men. Although Julie yearns to look up to see how far Flynn has reached, she doesn’t dare. She just keeps fighting, hoping they can hold off the men long enough for her to do her thing.

Alex dies next to Julie and when he returns, he lands straight on the man attacking her. She shoots him a grateful smile before diving back into the fray.

Reggie dies and Caleb’s men swarm them in his brief absence, but when he returns he fights harder and stronger than before.

Luke dies and Julie mentally begs Flynn to hurry up. 

Willie appears out of the trees and fights through a group of soldiers to join them, wielding a long wooden plank that he swings with a mean shoulder.

One of Caleb’s men gets past her defenses and wraps an arm around her throat. For the third time since starting the game, Julie dies from asphyxiation. She’s pretty sure she’s about to develop a phobia when she gets back to the real world.

Alex and Reggie both die once more. Julie looks up, knowing that they don’t have much time. The boys are all on their last lives. The next round of deaths is going to be permanent.

Even as she looks up, she sees Flynn pull herself to the top. She reaches into her shirt, pulls out the gem, and shoves it into the eye socket.

A green pulse goes out, leveling everyone. When Julie sits up, all of Caleb’s men are gone. She sees Reggie groaning as he pulls himself up into a sitting position. Willie is holding out his hand for Alex. Flynn climbs down from the statue as fast as she can.

Julie rushes up and pulls her into a hug. “You did it!”

Flynn bounces up and down with her. “I did! We did! We’re getting out of here!”

Julie pulls away and is about to run to the boys when she sees them. It feels like the breath has been knocked right out of her.

Alex and Reggie are kneeling around a body. Reggie is wiping at his cheeks while Alex is leaning down, holding a bloody hand in his. Willie stands behind Alex, his hand grasping his shoulder tightly.

Luke.

Julie rushes over, all her excitement rushing out as if she’d been punched in the gut. It doesn’t matter anymore that they won the game. She doesn’t care that she’s getting out. All she can think about is that she can’t lose anyone else. She can’t lose Luke.

She kneels down beside Reggie. Luke is still alive, but barely. His entire chest is covered in blood. He stares up at the sky, his eyes unfocused. His lips twitch but no sound comes out. He exhales and goes still.

On his wrist, Julie can see the start of a third black tally.

She doesn’t think. She just leaps into action. Her avatar takes over. She pushes Reggie out of the way and leans over Luke’s body, her hands pumping at his chest. Julie’s never officially learned CPR, but her avatar has. Just like with Willie’s flying and Flynn’s climbing, Julie trusts that her avatar knows what it’s doing.

She leans down and breathes into his mouth. Then she returns to the contractions. She’s vaguely aware of the others around her watching, and someone sets a hand on her shoulder.

“He’s gone, Julie,” Flynn says softly.

She doesn’t respond. She doesn’t have time. The others may have forgotten, but she hasn’t.

It’s the third time that she breathes for him that she feels it. His body twitches under hers and a searing pain assaults her wrist and her chest. She leans back, clenching her teeth against the pain.

The others gasp. She opens her eyes to see the third black tally disappear from Luke’s arm even as it brands itself on her own. Now they both have two.

Luke pushes himself up into a sitting position. He looks confused, as if he doesn’t know where he is. When his eyes settle on hers, his jaw drops.

“How did you - ?”

Julie manages a smile and swipes for her character stats. “I’m the medic, remember?”

Alex pulls them both into a big hug. Reggie piles on behind them. Julie feels the tension around them burst like an overfull balloon. In the quiet of the jungle, they realize that they did it. They beat the game.

They’re all laughing and crying and holding each other when his voice breaks through their celebrations.

“How touching.”

They break apart to see Caleb approaching. He looks down at them with disdain clear in his eyes. Julie feels her hands ball up into fists.

“You,” she snarls.

“Yes, me. I’ve come to congratulate you on your victory. It was hard won. I certainly didn’t expect one of my own to turn on me, but here we are.” Caleb raises his arm. “Fair is fair. To the victor goes the spoils, as they say.”

There’s something mocking about his tone that Julie doesn’t trust. She glances over at the others. Luke and Flynn have equally suspicious looks on their faces. Alex is staring at Willie in worry, and Willie’s face is one of pure terror. He reaches out and grabs Alex’s hand.

“But, you haven’t finished the game yet.” Caleb smiles. “And so, you are still under my rule.”

He reaches an arm out and Willie suddenly doubles over in pain. Alex holds him even as Caleb closes his fist and Willie flickers.

With one last burst of strength, Willie grabs only Alex’s arm. “Say the name!” he exclaims. Caleb sneers and tugs on his arm. Willie is dragged backward even as he screams, “Say Jumanji!”

Julie suddenly remembers the little poem the man with the white beard had given her: _Just remember: Return the jewel to end the curse. If you wish to leave the game, save Jumanji and call out it’s name._

“Jumanji!” she cries out. Flynn picks up on it first, and then the boys. “Jumanji!” 

The air swirls around them, the wind whipping around them like a vortex. Julie feels herself being sucked away in one violent motion.

A second later, Julie, Flynn, and the boys are falling through the air and landing in a pile in the middle of the garage floor. From the wall of windows in the back, Julie can see the beginning of the sunrise.

Flynn is the first to her senses. She leaps to her feet, reaching into her pocket to grab her phone. “Shoot. I’ve gotta run before my parents notice I snuck out.” She glances at the pile of boys and then looks over at Julie. “We’re definitely going to talk about this later. And if I get in trouble, I’m blaming you.”

She’s rushing out of the door before Julie can say anything else. Julie, like the boys, lies still for a few more seconds, catching her breath. She hopes the sight of the sunrise means that the last week in Jumanji happened only overnight in the real world. She’s not sure she wants to find out.

Mentally and emotionally, she’s exhausted. Her eyes drift close. She’s just about to fall asleep when she hears something that makes her blood run cold.

“Look, guys! We’re home!”


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All rights belong to the creators and writers of Julie and the Phantoms (2020). I take no credit, and I do not mean to break any copyright rules. This is simply a work of fiction made for enjoyment. No money is being made.
> 
> Rating: K+
> 
> Author's Note: Hey guys! I just posted a Juke-focused one-shot called "Nighttime Magic" if you're interested. It's bittersweet, gotta warn ya, but I'm also working on a Juke High School AU that I hope to get posted sometime in January. And of course, I'll be continuing to update this story twice a week. Happy reading!

**Chapter 15**

“Look, guys! We’re home!”

Julie sits up and stares at the boys. It’s her first time seeing them as them. Her dart from one to another, her brain running in hyperdrive.

The one who had just spoken and is standing has dark hair, long on the top and shorn close on the back. He’s wearing black jeans with holes in the knees, a plain black t-shirt, and has a red and black checkered flannel shirt tied around his waist. Even though Julie doesn’t recognize his face, she does recognize the way he’s gesturing around.

“Reggie?” she asks.

He turns to her and nearly jumps back. “Whoa. You’re not Asian.”

“I’m pretty sure I already told you that.”

The two boys still sitting on the floor are staring at her with wide eyes. One has blond hair with a side part. It flops over his eyes until he reaches up and pushes it back with his hand, revealing blue eyes. He’s wearing a pink sweatshirt, light jeans, and white converse. A black fanny pack is slung over his torso. When their eyes meet, he smiles.

“It’s nice to meet you, Julie. The real you. I’m Alex.”

Julie isn’t surprised. Although all the boys are kind, he’s the nicest one of them all and his appearance matches.

Her eyes flicker to the last of the boys. Luke. He’s wearing scuffed jeans with chains hanging from the belt loops, classic black and white vans, a white graphic cut-off shirt and an unzipped blue hoodie with no sleeves to reveal chiseled biceps. An orange beanie covers brown hair, the wavy ends of which are just sticking out. Her eyes drift to his face. He has a sharp jawline, hazel eyes like sunlight filtering through the trees, and, when his lips part, a wide smile revealing straight, white teeth.

Julie feels her cheeks redden. She quickly looks away. She was not expecting them to be this attractive.

“My couch!”

Luke climbs to his feet, walks over to the brown couch, and collapses backwards onto it. “I missed this thing.”

Julie rises slowly, her eyes darting around. Luke is getting way too comfortable on her couch, Reggie is taking off the cover from the piano, a strange look on his face, and Alex is climbing the ladder up to the loft. 

“Uh, guys?” She crosses her arms. “This is my garage. What are you doing?”

“Your garage?” Reggie looks over and frowns. “Wow, they didn’t wait. And how did you move all your stuff in so fast?”

“I think you’re mistaken, Julie.” Luke sits up. “This is definitely our studio. Sure, some things are different - the piano, the string lights, the decoration - but this is our couch. I still remember the day we picked it up off the side of the road. It smelled like weed for three months.”

“Hey, guys!” Alex’s head and shoulders pop over the railing of the loft. “All our instruments are still here!”

“Aw, Julie, I thought you weren’t a fan.”

She spins around to see Reggie holding up a CD case by the stereo. Her brain, already fried and exhausted from the game, can’t handle whatever is going on right now.

She holds out her arms. “Hold up. Everyone, shut up for a moment.”

The boys fall silent. She massages her temples with her fingers. A sinking feeling is starting to gather in the pit of the stomach as pieces of a scary puzzle are falling into place in her mind.

“What did you say your band name was again? Sunset Swerve?”

“Sunset Curve!” they all exclaim back at her. She leans her back against the piano and pulls out her phone.

“What’s that?” Luke slides right next to her. She glances over at him before scooching over a couple of inches. Obviously he’s never heard of personal space - though, after watching him with Reggie and Alex in the game for the past few weeks, she can’t say she’s surprised.

“It’s my cell phone.”

“Really?”

She ignores him and pulls up the first article that pops up.

_SUNSET CURVE: A HOLLYWOOD TRAGEDY_

_On the night of their highly anticipated Orpheum performance, three members of the band Sunset Curve, including the lead singer and guitarist, bass guitarist, and drummer, disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Witnesses told the police the last time the seventeen year old musicians were seen was on the stage during sound check, after which they went down to the basement. The fourth member of the band’s alibi set him with a member of the crew at the time of the disappearance._

Julie swallows hard. She angles her phone over to Luke. “Look at the date on the article. It was written in July… of nineteen ninety-five.”

Luke gives her a strange look. “So?”

Julie feels like the breath has been knocked out of her. Her phone slips out of her hand and lands on the top of the piano with a hollow thunk. Reggie walks over, concern on his features.

“Are you alright, Julie? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“That’s because I have.” She looks over at Alex, who has climbed down from the loft to join them. “You.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Luke asks. “Julie, you’re not making any sense.”

“Nineteen ninety-five was twenty five years ago. The current year is twenty-twenty.”

“She’s right.” Alex lifts a calendar off the wall. “Look.”

All three of them look as shocked as Julie feels. They all drift over to the couch and sit down. Luke hugs a cushion to his chest.

“I don’t get it,” Reggie says after a moment. “We were only in the game for two months. How is it possible that twenty five years went by?”

“Whenever I went in and out of the game, time passed differently.” Julie’s heart goes out to them. They all look so sad. Despite the strength of her sympathy, worry and questions crowd her mind in an even stronger force.

What is she going to do with three teenage boys from the past? They don’t have valid IDs. If they suddenly show up in public again and try to explain their story, they’ll all be thrown in a mental hospital. And once their identity is proven, no doubt the government will submit them to all sorts of tests and experiments to try and figure out what happened.

And where will they go? Julie is living in their house, or at least their studio. Their parents have probably all moved in the past twenty five years, not that they were close with them, anyway.

Julie’s phone buzzes. She picks it up and realizes that it’s her alarm for school.

“I have to go,” she says, picking it up. “I have school. I know this is freaking us all out, but I promise we’ll figure it out when I get home. For now, I really need you guys to stay here and lie low. Can you promise me that?”

They all nod slowly, their eyes glassy. Julie claps her hands and they jump.

“We promise,” they say, this time with force.

“Good. I’ll order you some pizza for lunch. There’s a bathroom in the back and the couch - ”

“Pulls out into a bed.” Alex smiles wearily at her. “Thanks, Julie.”

She hesitates. She doesn’t want to leave them alone. Partly because she’s spent enough time with them to not trust them to stay out of trouble and partly because she knows they’re going through a lot right now. But they have each other and she’ll only be gone for a few hours.

“Okay.” She backs out to the doors. “I’ll see you guys later.”

When she walks in the front door of her house, she sees that her dad and Carlos are already awake. Her dad gives her a strange look.

“Julie. What are you doing?”

She holds up her phone and gives him a weak smile. “I had to get my phone. Left it in the garage last night.”

“I didn’t hear you get up.”

“Yup. I was, uh, trying to be quiet. Didn’t want to disturb anyone.”

She runs up to her room before they can ask any more questions. After being up all night - and mentally having just gone through a whole week of Jumanji - she’s on her last straw. She jumps in the shower and feels a little better when she gets out.

Though Julie doesn’t normally drink coffee, she brings a thermos of it with her to school. She has the feeling she might need it to stay awake.

Her first two classes are terrible. She drains her coffee and still almost falls asleep. She gets in trouble for not having her calculus homework done again, but she can’t find it within herself to care. With everything going on in her life, it’s the least of her worries.

At least she’s out of the game. Julie doesn’t have a lot to be thankful for, but she is relieved to know that she never has to go back into Jumanji again.

The caffeine kicks in during her dance class. She’s jittery beyond control, unable to stand still. Nick watches her and laughs.

“Are you okay?” he asks when she spins so hard that she accidentally bashes the top of her head into his chin. 

“I drank a lot of coffee this morning,” she admits. “Lesson learned.”

“Well, other than that, that run-through was amazing. We’re going to kill it on Saturday.” Nick smiles at her. “And are you ready for the game on Friday?”

“The game? Oh, right! The game!” Julie had completely forgotten that she made plans to go with him and Flynn to the game. “Yeah! I’m super pumped.”

“I’m glad.”

Julie feels like she’s about to explode when the hour finally ends. She nearly sprints to the locker room, claiming a bathroom stall and simply pacing back and forth inside, forcing herself to take deep breaths.

There’s a knock on the stall door. Julie reluctantly opens it to face Flynn.

“You didn’t ask, but I’ll give you a pass,” Flynn says as she drags Julie out. “I made it back with seconds to spare. Literally, I jumped into my bed about five seconds before my mom opened the door to wake me up.”

“That’s good,” Julie manages.

Flynn watches her for a moment. “You’re in freakout mode, aren’t you?”

Julie nods. “Just a little.”

“So, how are the boys? Did they go home?”

And there’s just one more thing Julie has to deal with. She has to somehow explain to Flynn that the boys _are_ home - at least, their home from twenty five years ago. She opens her mouth to begin when she remembers that Flynn has her music audition today. She doesn’t want to distract her and cause her to do poorly.

“They’re doing okay. It’s a lot to process, them being back in the real world. I’ll tell you more later. Are you ready for your audition?”

Flynn nods. “Totally. Even though I didn’t get any sleep last night.”

Julie cringes. “Sorry. That’s on me.”

Her friend smiles and drapes her arm over her shoulders. “It’s okay. You’re more important to me and you needed my help.”

Julie leans her head on her shoulder. “I love you, Flynn.”

“Love you, too, Julie.”

-

Julie dreads going to music class. As excited as she is to hear Flynn’s audition, she knows that today is also her audition day. Or, rather, her lack of audition day.

Today is the day she has to tell Mrs. Harrison that she’s taking a break from music.

She sits in the back and pulls a ball cap low over her head. The caffeine is still coursing through her system and her knee bounces up and down the entire time. She jumps to her feet to applaud for Flynn after she performs. Then her stomach sinks when Mrs. Harrison calls her name.

Julie forces herself to look up. “I, uh, don’t have anything prepared.”

Mrs. Harrison looks disappointed but she simply nods. “Okay. And next we have Andrew…”

Julie is aware of the variety of looks thrown her way. Some people look at her with concern, Nick included. Carrie smirks in her direction. Julie ignores them all.

By the time Julie is heading home that afternoon, she’s nearly dead on her feet. If it weren’t for the boys, she’d collapse on her bed and not wake up until tomorrow. As it is, they need her.

She’s relieved when she sees that the garage doors are still closed. That’s a good sign. As she gets off the bus and walks down the driveway, she can hear rock music play. She curses under her breath and breaks into a run.

She throws open the garage doors. The boys have set up their instruments next to the piano, including Alex’s full drum set, amps for Luke and Reggie’s guitars, and Julie’s keyboard. They’re all rocking together, looking worlds different than they had this morning. When they see her they nod and continue jamming.

Julie is frozen in place for a moment. Then she waves her arms. “Stop!”

Alex is the first to stop. Reggie finishes his baseline before setting his guitar. Luke smirks and launches into a solo. Julie sets her hands on his hips and he ends it. 

“How was that?” he asks, grinning. 

“How was it?” She raises an eyebrow. “The whole neighborhood could hear you! You’re supposed to be laying low.”

“We weren’t playing that loud,” Reggie protests. “We had our volume turned down. What else were we supposed to do for seven hours?”

Julie takes a deep breath. She knows a lot of her irritation is coming from her exhaustion. It’s not fair to take it out on them.

“Okay. It sounded good. But we have to talk about what’s going to happen with you guys.”

She explains her worries about their sudden reappearance and the fact that they haven’t aged. She mentions their lack of IDs and the crazy truth behind them. The more she talks, the more she realizes how messed up their situation is.

“You guys don’t exist,” she finishes lamely. “And you can’t exist.”

“But we do.” Alex’s voice is gentle. “Julie, we appreciate your concern. And you do bring up valid points. But we can’t just hide in here forever.”

“I know that. That’s not what I’m saying you should do.” Julie buries her head in her hands. “Just...give me a few days to think of something, okay? We’ll figure it out, but we don’t need to rush.”

“It’s not like we have anywhere better to be,” Reggie points out.

“So, Julie,” Luke says, leaning his forearms on the piano. “Why did you lie to us earlier?”

“About what?”

“About being a musician.” He holds up a piece of paper. “This is really good.”

It takes Julie a minute to realize what he’s holding up. The wave of irritation she’s been holding back flood through her and she lunges forward.

“You were in my room?” she screeches. Luke’s smile breaks and he turns and runs around the opposite side of the piano. Good! He should be scared.

“I told you guys she probably wouldn’t like it,” Alex says, crossing his arms. “But do you ever listen to me?”

Julie ignores him. She chases Luke around the piano until they stop on opposite sides, both breathing heavily. He’s holding the piece of paper tightly in his hand.

“These are good lyrics,” Luke says. “The melody isn’t bad, either. Reggie wrote a killer baseline to go along with it - ”

“No.” Julie lunges across the piano and snatches it out of his hands. She stuffs it in her pocket. “And this?” She motions to them all. “This cannot happen again. You promised me you’d stay in the garage. I sacrificed the last week of my life for you and the least you can do in return is have some respect for me.”

The boys look down at their feet in shame. Julie doesn’t like being harsh with them, but she’s at the end of her rope. She needs to pass out for twelve hours and take a breather.

Julie walks over to the door. “I’m going in the house to take a nap. I’ll come back out to bring you something to eat later. Please don’t leave the garage. My dad is going to be home soon, so you can’t play, either.”

She walks out, shuts the doors behind her, and then leans against them. For a moment, she doesn’t have the strength to move on. She digs into her pocket and brings out the song Luke had taken from her room. From her dreambox, to be exact.

It’s a song she wrote for Flynn when Flynn was helping her with her mom’s death. Luke may have been wrong to dig through her stuff, but he wasn’t wrong about it being a good song. It’s been so long since Julie wrote it that she nearly forgot about it.

Now that she’s calmed down from her initial anger, she realizes that it was really sweet of Luke and Reggie to write music to her half-formed song. And even though she’s sure some of their music is heavily inspired from other musicians, they aren’t bad at all.

A part of her that has been silent for a long time calls out. It begs for her to go back into the garage and ask the boys to show her what they wrote. It asks for her to sit down and maybe even play something with them.

For the first time in a year, Julie feels the call of music inside her again.

She’s about to turn back when a wave of exhaustion washes over her and she remembers how it’s been days since she slept at all and weeks since she slept well. She pushes away from the garage and heads to the house, intent on getting a few hours of much-needed sleep.

Julie finds herself hoping she feels that same calling when she wakes up again.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All rights belong to the creators and writers of Julie and the Phantoms (2020). I take no credit, and I do not mean to break any copyright rules. This is simply a work of fiction made for enjoyment. No money is being made.
> 
> Rating: K+
> 
> Author's Note: So we're getting into the second act of the story, of which there will be three. The first act was obviously the boys in Jumanji, this second act is them in the real world, and the third act is something I won't reveal for spoiler-y reasons, though I'm sure you can guess what might happen

**Chapter 16**

Julie is still a little groggy when she wakes up from her nap, but she rubs her eyes clear and heads downstairs. Her dad and Carlos are already sitting around the table. Tía had brought them a casserole earlier, and leftover spaghetti from last night (yes, spaghetti again) sits in a large tub in the fridge. Julie glances around, wondering how she’ll be able to sneak it outside.

Carlos is talking about going to the football game with his friends - yes, her brother and his friends are the annoying pre-teens that run around and do everything but watch the football game - when Julie remembers she has to tell her father about her own plans.

“Oh, Dad,” she says. “Flynn and I were going to go to the game with Nick on Friday night. That’s okay, right?”

“Of course, _mija_.” Her father suddenly pauses. “Nick - that’s the boy you had that study date with?”

“It wasn’t a date. We were just studying.” Julie rolls her eyes. “But yes. That’s Nick.”

Carlos looks over at her and makes a kissy face. She leans over and stuffs a roll in his face.

“And then on Saturday I have the homecoming dance. My dance class is performing and then Flynn and I are staying for the dance.”

Her dad looks up. “You’re performing? Should I come?”

She shrugs. “If you want to. But I don’t think it’s that exciting.”

“Maybe you don’t, but I’m your dad. I think everything you do is interesting.”

“Well if you’re going, then I want to go, too,” Carlos says.

Julie rolls her eyes. There’s nothing Carlos loves more than sticking his nose in her business. She supposes it’s a little brother thing.

“Tía will probably want to come, as well,” her dad says. “We’ll bring the whole family.”

Julie sighs. “Alright. But we’re only doing one song. Then it’s just the normal homecoming dance, which parents aren’t invited to.”

After dinner, she volunteers to do the dishes to get her brother and dad out of the kitchen faster. Carlos gives her a suspicious look but then runs off to his room. Her dad retreats to the living room to his corner office to edit some photos.

“I’m going out to the garage!” Julie yells as she nabs the spaghetti container and a pile of plastic plates and silverware.

“Don’t stay up too late!” her dad calls back. “You have a full weekend!”

“I won’t,” she promises, then darts out.

To her relief - and surprise - the boys are sitting in a circle on the floor, playing cards. When Julie walks in, they smile shyly.

“Look, Julie,” Luke says, clasping his hands together in front of him. “We’re really sorry that we went through your stuff. I promise we won’t do it again.”

Alex and Reggie nod in agreement. Julie gives them a tight-lipped smile and sets her food offering on the coffee table.

“I forgive you,” she says. “And I brought food. Sorry it’s not much.”

The boys dive in. She wanders around the studio, admiring their set-up. It’s a small space, but they’ve made the most of it.

“Oh, Julie,” Luke says, his mouth half-full. He swallows and points to the piano bench. “I found a song that was written for you in that box. It’s really good. Who wrote it?”

Julie’s heart clenches. She rushes over and pulls out the small stack of pages. She’d seen the first page of the song when she was cleaning, but it had been too painful to look at closely. Now she concentrates on the words and the music. The familiar handwriting of her mother, extremely neat yet loopy cursive, jumps all over the page. By the time she gets to the last page, her eyes are stinging and watering. When she reads the small note at the bottom right, she has to cover her mouth to stifle the sob.

She sits down on the piano bench, the strength to move rushing out of her. The song is an empowering ballad titled “Wake Up.” The words read like a message her mom wrote from heaven after witnessing how Julie’s been struggling. It hits her heartstrings in all the right ways.

Her mom must have written it right before she died. Reading through it, Julie realizes that her mother would be disappointed with the way she’s been handling things. But it doesn’t come from a place of harsh criticism, but rather from love. The words are uplifting and encouraging, just like her mom always was.

Julie sets the music on the piano with shaking hands. She can sense the boys standing around her, silently watching with concern. She wipes at her cheeks.

“My, uh, my mom wrote it,” she says. Her voice is hoarse and she clears it. “Before she died.”

She raises her eyes to theirs. They all have horrified expressions on their faces. Even though they haven’t suffered exactly the same way she has, she knows that they above anyone understand what she’s going through. They just woke up this morning and learned that they lost twenty five years of their lives. All their friends, their families, their former bandmate - all moved on and gone.

Julie feels bad for getting mad at them for playing music this afternoon. For the first fifteen years of her life, music was how she coped with heartbreak and disappointment and frustration. Whether she played by herself or with her mother, music brought her joy in darkness and lifted the burden from her shoulders. She knows the boys are the same.

“I haven’t played music since my mother died,” she admits. “It reminded me of her, and I felt sad. Or I could forget about her, and that made me feel guilty. But music was the thing that brought us together. It was how we expressed our love for each other. She wouldn’t want me to give that up.” Julie tosses her head back. Deep in her soul, she can feel that call for music shining out. “What song was that you were playing earlier? When I walked in.”

Luke stares at her. A small smile slowly grows on his face. “That was just us jamming. But here.” He reaches for the music stand in front of his guitar and snatches up a torn-out page of a notebook. “This is a song I was working on before we got sucked into the game. I always thought it would sound good with a piano intro.”

Julie takes it from him and looks over the words. “This is really good,” she says, not able to hide how impressed she is. “You wrote this? By yourself?”

Luke bites his lip and nods. “Yeah.” He motions at the instruments. “You want to try it?”

Julie’s heart pounds. It’s been so long since she played. She can’t imagine she’ll be any good. But her fingers are itching, as if her mother is guiding them towards the keys. “Yeah. Alright. But keep the volume of your instruments down.”

The boys get their instruments ready. Julie hums the melody through and places her fingers over the keys. She feels excitement build up inside of her. 

Luke nods at her when they’re all ready. She takes a deep breath and plays the first chord.

The world narrows until it’s just her and the music. She follows the chords in Luke’s (admittedly terrible) handwriting and sings out. The boys join with their instruments after the first verse. She feels her heart bubbling out of chest and flowing through her voice. She can’t wipe the smile off her face as she sings.

The song doesn’t run smoothly, but that’s okay. It’s their first time playing it together. What matters isn’t the perfection, but the act of the music itself. 

When the last chord fades, Julie looks over at the boys. They’re all staring at her with wonder and amazement.

“She’s amazing,” Reggie says, his eyes wide. “Like seriously amazing.”

“You sure you haven’t played for a year?” Alex asks.

Julie’s cheeks redden and she glances down. “Thanks, guys. And not just for playing with me.”

There’s a sound outside the garage, coming from the driveway. Julie immediately points to the bathroom. “Hide! Someone’s coming!”

The door is just shut behind them when the garage doors open. Her dad and brother walk in, both staring in awe.

“ _Mija_ , was that you singing?” her dad asks.

Julie nods. “It was. I think - I think I found my music again.”

He wraps his arms around her in a tight hug. Carlos piles on behind her in a rare show of physical affection.

“It was beautiful,” her dad whispers into her hair. “I can hear your mother in your voice.”

Carlos detaches first and wanders around, tapping the cymbals of Alex’s drum set with his fingertip. “So this is all the junk that was up in the loft.”

Her dad steps back and looks for himself. “Some of this is in really good condition,” he says. “We could make some money on it.” He suddenly looks up. “Unless you’re using it for your music.”

Julie nods. “Yeah, I’m trying things out. Don’t be surprised if you hear anything funky coming from out here.”

He laughs. “Okay. Will do.” He lingers for a minute, then nods at Carlos. “Come on, let’s get out of her hair. She’s got some practicing to do.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

Julie waits until she’s sure they’re gone before letting the boys out of the bathroom. They tumble out, Alex immediately going to his drum set.

“Please don’t let him sell this,” he says.

“I won’t. I promise.” Julie rolls her eyes. She pulls out her phone and sends Flynn a text. She knows how excited her best friend will be to hear that she’s playing music again. She sets her phone on the top of the piano. “Luke, is it okay if I use this song? I’m supposed to do an audition to get into my music program and this one would be perfect.”

“Of course. We’ll help you get it down. When’s your audition?”

Julie frowns. “Well, it was today. But hopefully Mrs. Harrison will let me back in even if I’m a day late.”

“She will. You’re so talented.”

Julie ducks her head. “Alright. I’m going to run to the house to grab some water, and then maybe we can run through it a few more times?”

The boys all exchange looks and grin. Julie heads back to the house, an extra pep in her step that she hasn’t had in a long time.

-

The next day is Thursday. Julie can’t believe it hasn’t even been two (real) weeks since this whole thing started. It feels like a lifetime to her.

The school spirit theme is Decade’s Day. Julie hadn’t really planned on wearing anything special, but last night after practicing with the boys she’d stolen some of their clothes. She twists in the mirror, admiring the gray beanie Luke had given her, the flannel shirt Reggie had loaned her (worn around her waist, of course), and Alex’s extra fannypack. Out of the trunk of her mother’s belongings she’d grabbed a pair of mom jeans and she finished off the outfit with a pair of worn converse.

She feels her heart beating in anticipation. Today is the day she proves to Mrs. Harrison that she does belong in the music program. She hasn’t performed in front of anyone in so long that the prospect of it terrifies her, but she’s not going to let it stop her. The music is flowing through her again and there’s no stopping it.

At breakfast, her dad had taken one look at her outfit and laughed. Carlos couldn’t hide his smirk, either.

“I think that’s your best outfit yet,” her dad says. 

“Thanks.” She can’t wipe the smile off her face. “Dad, I’m going to try out for the music program.”

“I’m glad, _mija_. Hearing you play and sing last night...it was a gift.” He kisses the top of her head. “Good luck.”

Before she gets on the bus, Julie stops by the garage to check on the boys. There’s a strange tension in the air, but she can’t place what it is exactly.

“You’re going to kill it, Julie,” Reggie says, holding up his hand for a high-five.

“Thanks.” She slaps his hand. “The next two days are kind of crazy for me, but then I promise I’ll figure something out for you guys.”

“No worries,” Luke says. “Just focus on yourself right now. We promise to behave.”

Julie sees Alex roll his eyes. When he notices her looking at him, he straightens up.

“Let us know how it goes,” he says innocently, as if nothing had just happened.

“I will.” She glances back and forth between them. They’re definitely acting weird. She hopes it’s about some dumb boy thing. After their argument yesterday, she trusts them. “Alright. See you guys in a few hours.”

Her heart starts racing when she gets on the bus. She’d texted back and forth with Flynn a little last night, but not too much. She’s excited to speak with her in person.

To her surprise, Flynn doesn’t get on the bus. Julie feels a little worried, but she’s sure there’s a logical explanation.. Maybe Flynn has a doctor’s appointment and she won’t get to school until later. Maybe her parents are driving her to school. It’s rare, but it happens sometimes.

Julie’s first couple classes fly by. She can’t stop her leg bouncing. Her heart rate never seems to die down. She’s almost choked up with nervousness.

She’s relieved when she gets to dance class. Flynn is still mysteriously absent. She ignores the uneasy feeling in her gut and focuses on her dance with Nick.

“Today’s our last practice,” Nick reminds her. “You feeling ready for Saturday?”

“We’re gonna crush it at the dance,” she says, shaking out her arms.

“I’m kinda nervous,” he admits, laughing a little. 

“It’s going to be fine, Luke.”

She realizes her mistake as soon as the name slips out of her lips. Her eyes widen as she turns to Nick. The look he’s giving her is one part curious, one part hurt, and one part...is it jealous?

“It’s Nick,” he says slowly.

“Nick, right.” Julie purses her lips. “Sorry. I’ve got a lot on my mind. So, the football game tomorrow night. Pretty excited for that.”

Her attempt to cover up her mistake is lame at best, but Nick is nice enough to not dwell on it - outwardly, at least. He simply offers her one of his easy smiles.

“Yeah! Apparently the other team hasn’t won a game all season so it’s gonna be a total blowout. The only one for our team this year, I think.”

“Good. You’ll have to explain the rules to me, ‘cause I don’t normally watch football.”

“Not a problem. I think I’ve tried explaining to my mom a dozen times at least.” He pauses. “Julie, about the auditions yesterday…”

“Yeah?”

“I’m just going to miss seeing you in music class.”

Julie can’t help the smile that spreads across her lips. “Well, don’t worry about it too much. Hopefully that will change.”

“You’re playing music again?”

Julie nods. “I found this song my mom wrote for me last night and I realized how stubborn I was being. I was trying to avoid the pain of losing her by avoiding music, but music is the only thing that makes me feel connected to her now. I realized that I couldn’t give it up without giving up part of myself. So I started playing again.”

“I’m really happy for you.” His eyes light up. “I can’t wait to hear you play again. You were always one of the best musicians in the class.”

Her cheeks grow hot. “I don’t know about that. You’re pretty good yourself.”

“Maybe we can play together sometime,” he suggests.

“Yeah. That would be fun.”

As has become his usual habit, Nick waits for her after their dance class. He glances down at her ensemble and smiles. “Nice outfit.”

“Thanks.” She reaches up and tugs the beanie down over her curls a little more. “Borrowed it last minute from some friends of mine.”

Julie’s next class is chemistry, and then music. She runs through the halls, hoping to get to class early enough to talk to Mrs. Harrison. She knows she was supposed to do her audition yesterday, but what can one day hurt?

She bursts through the doors...into an empty classroom. The lights are off and the piano is covered. Julie spins in a circle, not understanding. Where is everyone? Is she missing something?

“Julie!”

She turns around to see Flynn run into the room, her braids flying wildly. 

“Flynn? Where have you been? I haven’t seen you all day!”

“I don’t have time to explain. Come on, we’re going to be late for the assembly.”

Julie stares at her blankly. “The assembly?”

“Yeah, the spirit assembly. You know, the one that’s usually on Friday except we have a half day tomorrow for the game so they moved it to today.”

No, Julie doesn’t know. She wonders if she heard about it during one of her memory blackouts. That would make sense. Or maybe it came over the announcements while she was sleeping in class.

“Come on.” Flynn grabs her hand and drags her through the hall. “And by the way, nice outfit."

“You can thank my mom and the boys.” Julie pauses. “Flynn, how am I going to audition for Mrs. Harrison now?”

“I have a plan.” Flynn grins. “Trust me.”

Julie has a feeling she may not like her plan, but she trusts her friend so she lets her drag her to the gymnasium.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All rights belong to the creators and writers of Julie and the Phantoms (2020). I take no credit, and I do not mean to break any copyright rules. This is simply a work of fiction made for enjoyment. No money is being made.
> 
> Rating: K+
> 
> Author's Note: As someone who was an exchange student, I can 100% vouch that exchange students get away with anything. I took entire weeks off school, skipped writing half my tests, and could basically opt out of any activities/projects I didn't want to do. All my teachers loved me anyways.

**Chapter 17**

Flynn drags Julie into the side door of the gym, next to the set of bleachers where the band kids are sitting. On a set of risers stolen from the choir room, the band has a drum set, a keyboard, a few amps and a few electric instruments set up. Julie must have missed them playing because they’re all sitting on the ground in front of it now, watching the spectacle in front of them.

Yes, none other than Carrie Wilson is singing and dancing in the middle of the gym, a ridiculous pink wig on her head and a sequin outfit that sparkles outrageously as she moves. Her posse backs her up.

Julie wishes Carrie weren’t so good. If she genuinely wasn’t a good performer, it would be so much easier to hate her.

“Look who spent all of daddy’s money on costumes and Katy Perry’s choreographer.” Flynn crosses her arms. 

“Yeah, and it works.” Julie begins to feel nervousness clawing at the pit of her stomach again. Carrie has probably been practicing for weeks for this gig. Julie practiced for a couple of hours. She’s not ready.

Flynn sets her hand on Julie’s shoulder. “Don’t worry,” she says, reading her mind. “You’ve got this. Just go up and there and be yourself.”

“Wait - go up there?” Julie suddenly realizes Flynn’s plan. “Oh, no. You want me to perform in front of the whole school?”

“It’ll be great. No one will be able to deny that you belong in the music program.”

Julie breathes in and out deeply, trying to settle her racing heart. She’s done more difficult things than this before. She survived freakin’ Jumanji, for Heaven’s sake. She once dived off a boat into a sea of piranhas to save her friends. Playing music in front of the school should be nothing.

She can’t quite fully convince herself of it, but she calms down enough that she’s not having a panic attack. Carrie finishes her performance and Principal Lessa comes out to say a few words. She ends the assembly by reminding everyone of the game tomorrow and shouting, “Go Bobcats!”

The students begin to collect their things and get up from their seats. Flynn nudges Julie towards the stage. She braces herself and then stalks forward.

The floor of the gym is filled with students when she reaches the keyboard. She sits down, brushing her fingers over the keys, then checks the settings. She adjusts the mic and then, before she can lose her resolve, begins playing.

_Sometimes I think  
I’m falling down  
I wanna cry  
I’m calling out  
For one more try  
To feel alive_

_And when I feel  
Lost and alone  
I know that I   
Can make it home  
Fight through the dark  
And find the spark_

She sees movement out of the corner of her eye but she dares not pay it attention. Her gaze is focused on Flynn, who stands in front of her on the gym floor, a wide smile on her face. A few other students pause to listen.

_Life is a risk but I will take it  
Close my eyes and jump  
Together I think that we can make it  
C’mon let’s run_

Julie’s about to dive into the chorus when she hears drums. Without stopping her playing, she turns just as the guitars join in.

_And rise, through the night  
You and I  
We will fight to shine together  
Bright forever_

Reggie, Alex, and Luke are on the risers with her, rocking out using the school instruments left behind. Julie is too relieved and excited by their presence to wonder at how or why they’re here. A little laugh escapes her and she lets them take over the melody as she leaves the piano to dance in the middle of them.

_And rise, through the night  
You and I  
We will fight to shine together  
Bright forever_

During the instrumental break between the chorus and the verse, she leans close to Luke. “Is this really happening?” she asks.

He grins. “Just go with it!”

He breaks away from her to start singing the second verse in the microphone. Although Julie had been prepared to sing the whole song by herself, she feels a lot more comfortable with them. The song itself sounds better, too - even though they’d adjusted it for her, it’s a Sunset Curve song through and through, written in the height of their glory.

_In times that I  
Doubted myself  
I felt like I  
Needed some help  
Stuck in my head  
With nothing left_

_I feel something  
Around me now  
So unclear  
Lifting me out  
I found the ground  
I’m marching on_

She dances with Reggie and Alex while Luke sings. A crowd of about two hundred kids stay after the assembly, some of them dancing along to the music, some filming with their phones, and others simply watching. She sees Nick in the front row dancing, Carrie standing next to him with her lips pursed. In the middle of the crowd there’s a small circle around Principal Lessa and Mrs. Harrison. The principal has a neutral expression on her face and Mrs. Harrison is smiling widely.

Reggie dances over to Luke and shares a mic with him as they duet:

_Life is a risk but we will take it  
Close my eyes and jump  
Together I think that we can make it  
C’mon, let’s run_

Julie jumps back in for the chorus.

_And rise, through the night  
You and I  
We will fight to shine together  
Bright forever  
And rise, through the night  
You and I  
We will fight to shine together  
Bright forever_

Julie glances over at Luke to see that he’s already looking at her. She walks over and offers her mic to him. He leaves his and follows as she parades him to the middle of the stage, their eyes never leaving each other’s. The spark that she’d felt a few times before flares up and explodes into the music.

_In times that I  
Doubted myself  
I felt like I  
Needed some help  
Stuck in my head  
With nothing left_

Julie takes her mic back but Luke stays close to her, shredding on his guitar. She has a huge smile on her face as she sings.

_And when I feel  
Lost and alone  
I know that I  
Can make it home  
Fight through the dark  
And find the spark_

Luke wanders back to his microphone to finish off the song. Julie’s heart is full as she belts out the lyrics and dances. 

_And rise, through the night  
You and I  
We will fight to shine together  
Bright forever  
And rise, through the night  
You and I  
We will fight to shine together  
Bright forever_

Julie takes the last note up a few steps to create a harmony to the note that he, Reggie, and Alex sing. Even when the music stops, Julie still feels it around her, filling the air with hope for a new beginning.

The crowd cheers for her. Julie basks in it. Flynn rushes the stage and hugs her so tightly she nearly knocks her over.

It takes a few minutes for the crowd to fully disperse. A couple dozen people - mainly girls - hover around, trying to get the boys’ attention. Luke and Alex wave to them from the risers and Reggie sits on the bottom step and entertains a few girls who ask for selfies, including one of the girls from Carrie’s posse.

Nick is one of the few people who stays as well. When Julie climbs down from the riser, he’s all smiles.

“That was awesome! I didn’t know you were part of a band.”

Julie laughs. “It’s pretty recent.”

“Well, you guys are amazing. The whole school is going to be talking about this for the next week!”

The last thing Julie wants is to be the center of gossip again - the last time she was, it was because her mother died - but if that’s the price she has to pay to get back in the music program then she’ll gladly pay it. 

Julie has to excuse herself from Nick when the principal and Mrs. Harrison show up.

“Julie, that was phenomenal. I’m so proud of you.” Mrs. Harrison can hardly control herself.

Principal Lessa gives Julie a tight-lipped smile. “While I certainly don’t approve of this stunt, I would be remiss to not compliment you.”

“I won’t do it again,” Julie promises. “I just didn’t want to get kicked out of the music program because I was one day too late.”

Mrs. Harrison’s smile falters. “Julie, I’m sorry, but the rules are the rules. You missed your audition. I can’t play favorites.”

Julie’s heart begins to sink. She takes a step back.

“Luckily I have the power to overrule the rules,” Principal Lessa says. “I will not be known as the woman who kicked Julie Molina out of the music program. Just promise to thank me when you win your first Oscar.”

“I promise!” Julie can’t restrain herself from reaching out and hugging Mrs. Harrison.

“There is still one other matter to discuss.” Principal Lessa nods to the boys, who are standing next to Flynn and pretending not to eavesdrop. “We have a strict policy of not letting strangers into the school, but Flynn told the secretary that they are exchange students.”

Of course Flynn is behind this all. Julie should have guessed. Instead she’s forced to fumble.

“Oh, yeah. They’re from...Sweden. They just arrived in the U.S. last week.”

“Do they have an American school picked out yet?” The principal procures her clipboard and gives Julie three stacks of papers. “If not, I would like to formally welcome them to Los Feliz. Fill those out and bring them in Monday and they can enroll.” She glances over at Mrs. Harrison. “I believe the music program even has a few spots reserved for exchange students?”

Mrs. Harrison nods. “We leave open five spots every year, but this year we only have one taken. It would be an honor to teach such talented boys.”

“Good. Then it’s all settled. Have a nice day, Julie.”

Julie contains her squeal of excitement until the two teachers are gone. Then she jumps onto the risers in front of the boys.

“Did you guys hear that?” she exclaims. “We just solved two problems in one go! And all thanks to Flynn.”

Flynn tosses her hair back. “I know, I know, I’m the best.”

Reggie grabs at the stack of papers in her hand. “We’re going back to high school, boys!”

Alex and Luke don’t look as thrilled as Reggie, but they take the forms. Julie turns to Flynn.

“How did you do it?”

“I got your text last night and called you back immediately, but apparently you were in the house because the boys picked up. They told me what was going on and I thought I’d surprise you. Besides, once I thought of the exchange student loophole, I realized that we could avoid a lot of tricky questions. Exchange students get away with everything.”

“What country did you say we’re from?” Reggie asks, a pen in his hand as he fills out the form.

“Sweden. What? I panicked.” Julie reads over Reggie’s shoulder. “Oh, you guys better make up Scandinavian sounding last names.”

“She’s right,” Flynn agrees. “You all have All American Boy Scout first names.”

“Can my last name be Thor?” Reggie asks, fixing puppy dog eyes on Julie.

“Go with Thorston. It’s a little more realistic.”

Alex taps the end of his pen against his jaw. “I’m gonna go with Olsen. That’s like the Smith of Sweden, right?”

“Ooh, and I’m Luke Christensen.”

“What do you guys even know about Sweden?” Flynn asks, setting her hands on her hips.

“Vikings,” Reggie says immediately.

“Universal healthcare!” Alex says.

Luke frowns. “It’s in Europe, right?”

Flynn face palms. “Oh, no. This is hopeless. You should just pretend you don’t speak English.”

Julie grabs Reggie’s arm and begins to escort them off the risers. Around them, the band kids trying to clean up are starting to get irritated. “Okay. You guys need to head back to the house. Your homework is to learn as much about Sweden as you can. And finish filling out those forms!”

They wave to her as they leave. Julie leans against Flynn’s side. 

“We should invite them to the football game tomorrow,” Flynn suggests. “I’m sure they’d like to get out of the garage again.” 

“Good idea. I’ll text Nick, see if it’s cool.”

Julie sends the text, adding a smiley face on the end. She feels bad about changing the plans last-minute.

“So now that we have an explanation for the boys and we’re getting them into school, there’s just one more problem,” Flynn says.

“What’s that?”

“When and how are you going to tell your dad that there are three cute teenage boys living in your garage?”

“That is a problem for future me. Right now, I’m going to try and survive the weekend.”

By the time Julie gets home that day, she’s changed her plans for the football game to include the boys. Nick asks her a few questions and seems satisfied when she explains that they’re exchange students.

She’s also gotten some texts from Flynn. Apparently everyone on Twitter is talking about their performance and asking when they’ll play again.

Julie opens up the garage doors. Luke is sitting behind the piano, a worn notebook and a pen in his lap as he experiments with notes. Reggie is cleaning his bass with a gray cloth and Alex is laying on the couch, trying to balance a drumstick from his nose.

“Good news, boys,” Julie says. They all jump in surprise. Alex falls off the couch. “We’re the talk of the school. Flynn has secured us a spot to play a few songs at the homecoming dance if we want.”

“The homecoming dance...that’s in two days?” Alex asks.

“Why not?” she asks. “I have a half day of school tomorrow. We can practice the whole afternoon.”

“I’m down,” Luke says. “We can use some of our songs that we didn’t include on the demo.”

Julie takes a seat behind her keyboard. “Yeah, I’d like to hear some more of your songs.”

Luke and Reggie grab their guitars and Alex slides behind the drum set. Luke signals to them and they start playing.

A few seconds in, Julie stops them.

“See, that’s what I’m talking about,” she says. “That’s clearly a cover song. You didn’t even change the lyrics.”

“A cover song?” Reggie’s eyebrows pop up. “No. Luke, show her.”

Luke reaches over and grabs his notebook. Julie recognizes it as the same one she found in the wardrobe the first time she went up to the loft. She suddenly remembers the love song about the girl. She can’t help the disappointment she feels as she stares at Luke. 

He turns to a page and shows it to her. “Look. That’s the song in my handwriting.”

Julie pulls out her laptop and opens up Youtube. “And here’s the song, professionally recorded by Trevor Wilson.” She hits play on the official music video.

The boys listen for about a minute, their faces growing increasingly horrified. 

“That sounds like - ” Reggie glances over at them. “But he would never…”

Julie turns the screen towards them. Alex’s face pales as he watches Trevor. Luke’s hands clench into fists and Reggie’s jaw drops.

“Bobby,” they all hiss under their breaths at once.

“No, it’s Trevor Wilson.”

“So he changed his name.” Alex points at the screen. “But that’s definitely Bobby. He was our fourth band member, our rhythm guitarist. He didn’t get sucked into the game with us.”

“What other songs did he write?” Luke asks.

Julie opens up a new tab and shows them the list. If the boys weren’t mad a second ago, they definitely are now.

“He recorded ‘My Name is Luke?’ _My_ name is Luke!”

“And ‘Crooked Teeth’! Luke wrote that about Reggie.”

“Wait,” Reggie says. “I thought he wrote that about you!”

Alex shakes his head. Reggie crosses his arms and pouts. “I don’t like that song anymore.”

“He stole our music. We disappeared and he stole everything we worked years to create.” Luke’s jaw clenches and he sits back.

“Trevor Wilson got me into rock music,” Julie says slowly.

Alex looks at her sadly. “No, that was Luke.”

Julie doesn’t want to add fuel to the fire, but she might as well rip off the bandaid now. “Well, he made a ton of money. He has a private helicopter and a mansion.”

Reggie shakes his head. “What a jerk.”

Luke stands abruptly, tossing his songbook on the coffee table. “It’s not about the money,” he says.

“It’s a little about the money,” Reggie and Alex say at the same time.

“It’s about our legacy,” Luke continues, ignoring them. “Our families - ” He cuts off and shakes his head. 

“Our families could have used the money,” Reggie finishes. He shakes his head. “I can’t believe this. Bobby is - he _was_ our friend.”

Julie sighs. She understands their pain, but if there’s one thing she’s learned, it’s that no one can change the past. They can only move forward.

“Guys,” she says. “What Trevor or Bobby or whatever his name is did was really awful. But that was twenty five years ago. What’s important is what we have here. We have each other, and we have an opportunity to start fresh and play music with each other.”

“She’s right,” Alex says. “If we wrote good music back then, we can write good music now. And now we have Julie on our side.”

“I want to play on Saturday,” Reggie says. “I’m not saying I’m dropping the whole Bobby thing, but I don’t see why we can’t do both.”

They all turn to look at Luke. As hard as it must be for the others to come to terms with Bobby’s betrayal, Julie knows it’s a hundred times worse for Luke. He was their main songwriter. It would be like if Carrie stole Julie’s songs and claimed them as her own.

“Okay,” he finally says, throwing his hands up in the air. “Let’s do this. But we’ll have to start from scratch until I have time to figure out what songs Bobby stole and which ones he didn’t.”

Julie nods at the notebook. “What were you working on when I came in?”

“I had some ideas, but they weren’t quite coming together.”

Julie holds out her hand. “Can I see?”

She reads the sketches for his lyrics. He has a verse and a chorus written. They aren’t bad, but as Julie looks at them she replaces some words in her mind and alters the structure. 

“How about this?” she asks, and makes the corrections.

A small smile alights on Luke’s face. Julie is happy that she’s the reason for it. “I like that.” He jumps over to piano and starts dunking out some notes. “How about this for the melody…”

And so they begin the process of writing their first songs together.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All rights belong to the creators and writers of Julie and the Phantoms (2020). I take no credit, and I do not mean to break any copyright rules. This is simply a work of fiction made for enjoyment. No money is being made.
> 
> Rating: G

**Chapter 18**

“I hope you don’t mind,” Flynn says, sliding into the seat next to Julie on the bus. “I took the liberty of creating band posters.”

“We’re not a band,” Julie protests, taking the flyer out of her friend’s hand. It has cartoon instruments on the bottom half and says _Julie and The Phantoms_ on the top in purple and black ink. Information about them playing at the dance tomorrow is on the very bottom.

“Really? Well, you could’ve fooled me.”

“These look good.” Julie hands it back to her. “I just hope we sound good enough to pull it off. Luke and I were up all night writing songs. We won’t have much time to practice them before the performance.”

Flynn smirks at her. “You and Luke, huh?”

“The other boys were there, too - sleeping, mostly.”

“Mhmm. I saw you guys in the game together. You can’t deny that you guys have serious chemistry.”

No, Julie can’t. She remembers the thoughts she formulated about chemistry back when she was in the game.

“Chemistry isn’t everything,” she argues. “I’ve only known them for a few weeks. There’s still so much I don’t know.”

Flynn stares at her. “You survived with them for weeks in Jumanji. You crossed a mountain range together! You saw each other die, and you even brought Luke back to life. Now, in the real world, you guys play music together - and last I checked, music is your love language, Jules. I don’t really see what more you need.”

She shrugs. She can’t really place her own feelings into words. How can she tell Flynn that ever since her mom died, she’s had this terrible fear of losing people she cares for? The past few weeks have been the first in which she’s finally opened herself to making new friends. Asking for any more seems like tempting fate, and Julie’s already pushing it by spending so much time with Nick.

And not to mention that song in Luke’s notebook about the girl named Emily. While Emily may be long gone, the feelings Luke has for her are definitely not twenty five years old.

“It’s complicated,” she settles on.

“Life is complicated.” Flynn sets a hand on her leg. “I get it. I’ll stop bugging you. For now.”

Julie smiles. “Thanks, Flynn.”

They split up once they get to school, Flynn hanging up flyers around and Julie going to the office to get the boys’ passes for the homecoming performance. She’s stopped several times during the short walk by students, some of whom she knows but many of whom are complete strangers.

“Your band is so cool!” a freshman girl gushes. “Where did you find all those cute, talented boys?”

“Sweden,” Julie answers.

“Ugh, why are all the cute boys in Europe?” another girl cries.

Another group that stops her asks when she'll be performing again.

“We’ll be playing a song at the dance tomorrow,” she says.

“We’ll be there!” they promise.

Julie ends up being late to her first class because she keeps getting stopped, but luckily her teacher doesn’t mind. The Friday of the homecoming game is always crazy, especially since this year is a half-day.

The day passes by quickly. Julie stays after school for an hour to make sure all the equipment they need for the band is set up in the gym. She meets the DJ, who shakes her hand and wishes her good luck. 

Then Julie heads home. She orders more pizza for the boys and they sit around the coffee table, eating and talking.

“You guys are super popular at school,” Julie says. “I heard of at least one fanclub that popped up overnight.”

“Yes! Girls are already talking about us!” Reggie holds out his hand and Luke high-fives him. Alex rolls his eyes.

“Here’s one of the flyers that Flynn made. She kind of took it upon herself to name our band.”

“Julie and The Phantoms,” Alex reads. “I like it. It’s not Sunset Curve, but I like it.”

“So I know we’ve been working on a few songs, but I was thinking we should perform ‘Great’ tomorrow.”

“That’s my favorite,” Luke agrees. “And it’s the most finished one we have.”

“Good.” Julie glances at her phone. “We have a couple hours to rehearse and then Nick’s picking us up to take us to the game. We’re leaving early so we can tailgate before.”

“Is Nick the blond kid you were talking to yesterday?” Luke asks, keeping his face completely neutral.

“Yeah, that’s Nick. You know, he’s actually a really good guitar player himself. But you’ll see, once you’re in music class with us.”

“Yeah, about this whole ‘going to school’ thing.” Luke leans forward. “I’m not sure it’s the best idea. We dropped out of school to focus on music and this seems counter-productive.”

“You can’t just hide in my garage all day. Besides, my school has a really good music program. You’ll learn a lot. And no, I’m not budging on this.”

She stands, wipes her hands off on her jeans, and heads over to piano. “But speaking of music, we should probably start practicing.” 

They spent the two hours hours jamming, playing both the song for tomorrow and experimenting with some of their other songs. Since Julie’s dad isn’t home, she’s not worried about him hearing them.

At quarter to five, Julie runs into her house to change for the game. Her dad gets home right as she’s heading out.

“Be safe!” he calls out. “Don’t stay out too late!”

“I won’t!” she promises.

“If you see Carlos, make sure he’s behaving!”

“I will!”

Nick pulls up at the curb as she darts over to the garage to let the boys know it’s time to go. Reggie has on a black leather jacket in addition to his normal outfit, Alex pulled on a ripped jean jacket over his pink hoodie, and Luke is wearing a large, incredibly-soft looking flannel jacket and his beanie. Julie suddenly feels underdressed in her school logo cropped sweatshirt and jeans.

“Sneak around the bushes through the neighbor’s yard,” she tells them. “I’ll have Nick pull up so my dad doesn’t see you guys.”

Julie heads back down her driveway and slides into the front seat. Nick is wearing his letterman jacket and jeans. He smiles over at her.

“You look nice,” he says. “Very sporty.”

“What can I say? School spirit. Go Bobcats.”

He laughs at her lack of enthusiasm and pulls forward past the treeline. The boys pile in the back of the car.

“So, Nick,” Julie says, “This is Alex, Reggie, and Luke. They’re exchange students from Sweden, if you haven’t already heard.”

“And they play in a band with you.” Nick turns and waves. “Hi. I’m Nick.”

“This is a sweet car,” Reggie says. “I can’t believe how nice they’ve gotten!”

Julie shoots him a warning look. When Nick glances over at her, she forces a smile. “The cars in Sweden aren’t as nice as they are here.”

She can’t tell if Nick actually believes that lie, but he just nods. “Well, it’s nice to meet you all.”

“Yeah, you too.” Luke throws a wink at Julie. “Thanks for letting us tag along.”

Julie has to cross her arms over her chest so she doesn’t reach back and strangle him.

Nick drives to Flynn’s house, and she shares the front seat with Julie. It’s a little tight, but not too bad.

The school parking lot is already filled even though it’s still and hour and a half until the game starts. Nick pulls in next to a cluster of spaces occupied by grills, fold-up tables, and lawn chairs. The smell of cooking hamburgers and hot dogs are in the air. Red solo cups filled with soda (no one’s stupid enough to bring alcohol so blatantly out on school grounds) are passed around. The six of them slide out of the car and join the crowd.

Julie feels immediately uncomfortable. All the people here are popular kids - the students she’s watched from afar for years and wondered who decided in middle school that they would be gods among men and elevated above all the others. These are the students that can do no wrong.

Julie is confident in herself, and she’s fine with not being popular, but that doesn’t mean that years of intimidation ingrained into her by society just goes away.

Nick sets a hand gently on her back and guides her to a group of his lacrosse teammates. “Hey, guys,” he says, exchanging hand-shakes with his friends. “You all know Julie.”

She isn’t sure what she’s expecting - for them to look at her with disgust? Confusion? Fake friendliness? Something along those lines. Instead, they smile warmly and shake her hand.

“Nice to meet you, Julie. Formally.” One of the guys smiles. “I’m Nate.”

“I’m Dillan. Your performance yesterday was legendary. I can’t believe you had the guts to crash the spirit assembly!”

Julie feels like she’s been transported to another universe as Nick takes her around and introduces her to everyone. The guys, many of whom she’s had classes with or seen in the halls but never interacted with, accept her immediately. Most of their girlfriends do as well, though a few of Carrie’s friends are still chilly.

When Julie and Nick circle back to where they started, Julie sees the boys sitting on the open bed of a pick-up truck, scarfing down hot dogs while a small crowd of girls (and a few uncomfortable boyfriends) chat with them. Flynn is standing nearby, a soda in her hand as she talks to the guy who she partnered up with for the dance.

Julie winds through the people to stand next to the boys. Reggie holds up his hot dog.

“This is so good!” he says. “I’m not used to eating hot dogs that don’t come from the back of oldsmobiles.”

She raises her eyebrows. “I’m surprised you guys never died from food poisoning. That sounds...really unsanitary.”

“Hey, man,” Luke says. “The Nineties were a different time.”

Alex nudges him with his elbow and Luke coughs. “Uh, I mean, Sweden.”

No one seems to notice. One girl asks, “Isn’t everyone in Sweden, like, vegan? I’ve seen a thing on the internet about IKEAs having vegetarian hot dogs.”

“That’s the best part about America,” Reggie says, his mouth full. “The food.”

There’s a disturbance in the back and none other than Carrie Wilson shoves through. She appraises the situation quickly and then pastes on a fake smile.

“Oh my gosh! I’m so glad you guys are here!” She walks over to Julie and sets her arm around her shoulders. “Remember when we used to talk about music with my dad? My dad, Trevor Wilson, the rockstar?”

Julie stiffens. On the truck, Alex, Reggie, and Luke freeze mid-bite. 

“Your dad,” Alex chokes out, “is Trevor Wilson?”

Carrie flicks her hair over her shoulder. “Yeah. You heard of him?”

“Oh, we’ve - ”

Julie pushes Carrie off and steps forward. “Yup, apparently Trevor Wilson is a huge deal in Europe. The boys know his music better than anyone else.”

Carrie flashes a smile. Obviously she thinks she’s picking up popularity points by earning the approval of the suddenly-popular band. If only she knew the truth.

“You guys should totally come over to my place sometime!” she says. “I’m sure I could convince my dad to take a few minutes off to meet you.”

“That would be great,” Luke says. He’s careful to keep his facial expressions under control. “We’d love to have a chat with Bo - Trevor.”

Julie clenches her fists at her sides. This is not good. She saw how upset the boys were about their former bandmate. If they go all crazy on him, the entire gig is up. Their true identities will be revealed. Maybe Trevor wouldn’t turn them in, but Carrie certainly would capitalize on the situation. She’d tell all her friends just to get a popularity boost. Plus, Julie knows there’s nothing Carrie would like more than to ruin what little good is coming into her life.

“You okay?” Nick asks, leaning close to her.

Julie exhales and loosens her fingers. “Yeah. I’m fine.”

Nick looks over sadly at Carrie. “She didn’t used to be like this. I don’t know what changed.”

_Me neither_ , Julie thinks. As much as she wants to hate Carrie, she can’t look at her without thinking about all the good memories they shared as kids. Carrie was her childhood best friend. So much of who Julie is now is because of her.

Once the band marches out through the parking lot and towards the field, they pack up the tailgating equipment and head across the street to the stadium. Since it’s homecoming, the stands are packed. Julie is squished in between Nick and Luke in the middle of the student section. Flynn is sitting with Reggie and Alex directly behind them.

“So you promised to explain to me how this game works,” Julie says after a few minutes.

“It’s pretty easy.” Nick smiles. “So our team - in the red and blue - is trying to get the football down to the opposite end zone. They can either score a touchdown, which they get by crossing into the endzone with the ball, or they can kick a field goal. A touchdown is six points and a field goal is three. If they score a touchdown, they get a chance to either try and run the ball once for two points or they can kick a field goal for one. Most of the time they choose a field goal because it’s an almost guaranteed point.”

“Unless you have a terrible kicker,” one of Nick’s friends adds.

“Right.” Nick points to the field. “So in order to move the ball down the field, the team is trying to move in increments of ten yards or more. They have four tries to pass the ten yard marker, but wherever they lose the ball on the fourth try is where the other team gets to start it, so unless they’re in the red zone they usually punt it down the field.”

“So they basically only have three tries.”

“Basically. And they can either run the ball or they can throw it. There are a bunch of different plays they have, but I won’t go into detail on those.”

“I think I get.” Julie turns her eyes to the game. “I don’t understand how almost every boy knows how football works. Are you, like, born with the knowledge?”

“Not all boys,” Luke says. “And I still don’t get it.”

“You don’t have football in Sweden, though, do you?” Nick asks.

“If by football, you mean soccer,” Alex says, leaning forward. Julie turns back and smiles at him. At least one of the boys did their homework. She’s not surprised at all that it’s Alex.

Something happens that Julie doesn’t understand and the student section leaps to their feet. In the section of the stands beside them, the marching band starts playing Seven Nation Army.

Julie grabs Nick’s arm. “What just happened?”

“We just got a thirty yard gain on a third down!” He jumps up and shouts with the others. Julie turns to Luke, who simply shrugs. 

Although Julie doesn’t get into the game like the others, she enjoys being with everyone. Nick half-watches the game and half talks with her and his other friends. A lot of students stop by their section as they head down or up to the concession stand, congratulating Julie on her performance or asking the boys questions. Though Julie doesn’t care about football or her school, she learns to jump up and cheer when the others do.

At halftime, the band does a shortened version of their marching routine before creating two blocks with an aisle down the middle. The homecoming court is introduced. Nick had to leave a few minutes before as he was voted as the junior representative on the court. Julie tries to not be bothered that Carrie was also voted as the female junior representative.

Nick and Carrie walk down the field and accept their silk sashes. Nick shyly waves up at the stands. Luke nudges Julie. “Aww, he’s just too cute!”

Julie shakes her head and holds up her hand to him. “And now I’m ignoring you.”

The band finishes halftime off by playing the school’s marching band. Nick returns to the stands and takes his seat. Julie congratulates him and he offers her a smile.

The game carries on. With the sun down, it starts getting chilly. Julie wraps her arms around her shoulders. Nick takes off his letterman jacket and offers it to her.

“I can’t take it,” Julie insists. “Won’t you be cold?”

“I’m fine. Seriously, I don't get cold easily.”

Julie puts on the jacket, ignoring Luke’s gaze, which she can feel focused on her. She pulls the slightly oversized jacket over her shoulders and huddles inside of it. It’s still warm from Nick.

“This is so much better. Thank you.”

At the start of the fourth quarter, Nick goes down with a few of his friends to the concession stands. Almost as soon as he’s gone, Luke speaks up.

“Well, I think someone has a crush on Julie.” He waggles his eyebrows. 

“Shut up.”

“Such a gentleman, giving you his coat and everything.”

She tries to smack him in the arm, but his muscles are hard enough that it hurts her hand more than it hurts him.

Alex and Reggie get tired of sitting and wander down to the band, where they start up a conversation with the drumline. Alex shows a few of the students some stick-twirling tricks and Reggie somehow convinces one of the bass players to let him try on the drum. 

Nick returns, bearing hot chocolate for both Julie and Flynn. When he hands Julie her cup, his fingers linger on hers a few seconds longer than necessary. Luke leans over to her ear and whispers, “I saw that.”

At the feeling of his warm breath so close to her neck, Julie jumps, nearly spilling hot chocolate all over her fingers. “Shut up!” she hisses back.

As much fun as Julie is having overall, she’s relieved when the game ends. There is just too much tension between Nick and her and Luke. Nick, bless his heart, seems wildly unaware. 

Flynn nabs a ride home with one of her other friends. She and Julie hug before they separate.

“I can’t wait to see you at the dance tomorrow!” Flynn says. “You guys are gonna rock the performance!”

“The dance or the band?” Julie asks.

“Both!”

Julie doesn’t worry about the boys sneaking back into the garage when Nick drops them off at her house. They can easily slip past the front of the house in the darkness, especially with all the shadows from the trees. Nick pulls his car up to the curb and Alex and Reggie pile out.

Luke hesitates, his hand on the door, until Julie jerks her head in a _Get out!_ motion. Then he slips away after the others, leaving just Julie and Nick in the car together.

“That was really fun,” Nick says. “I’m really glad you came.”

“Thank you for inviting me. And driving.” Julie suddenly remembers she’s still wearing his jacket and she pulls it off. “Wouldn’t want to forget that.”

“About the dance tomorrow…” Nick pauses. The sense of easy confidence around him falters. “I’m really glad we’re partners.”

“Me too.” Julie smiles at him. The tension in the car is starting to get too thick for her, so she reaches out and opens the door. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She steps out and waves. Nick stays idling at the curb until she reaches the porch. When she’s sure he’s gone, she walks around back to the garage.

The guys are sitting on the couch, stupid smiles on their faces when she walks in. 

“Do I even want to know?” she demands, crossing her arms.

“Nick seems nice,” Alex says.

Julie shakes her head and turns around before Reggie or Luke can say anything. “Nope. Not having this conversation. Goodnight.”

She doesn’t wait for their reply before she closes the door and heads back to the house.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All rights belong to the creators and writers of Julie and the Phantoms (2020). I take no credit, and I do not mean to break any copyright rules. This is simply a work of fiction made for enjoyment. No money is being made.
> 
> Rating: K+
> 
> Author's Note: I just want to say a huge thanks for those of you have left comments! I don't reply to all of them, but I do read them and really appreciate hearing your thoughts, reactions, and feedback. There's so many of you have leave a comment after every chapter and I always look forward to hearing what you have to say :)

**Chapter 19**

“Sorry, Luke.” Reggie leans over on the couch and pats him on the back. 

“Sorry about what?” Luke tears his gaze from the garage doors, where Julie had disappeared just a few seconds ago.

Alex smirks. “Don’t even try to hide it. We’ve both seen the chemistry between you and Julie.”

Luke opens his mouth and shuts it twice before sound comes out. “What? Is this because we sing together?”

“Oh, you don’t just sing together.” Reggie shakes his head. “You two are on a whole other level.”

Luke can’t deny that he hasn’t felt it, but that doesn’t mean he’ll give them the satisfaction of being right. “We just both really love music.”

“But even before you guys played together,” Alex says. “Even when we were in the game together. There was always something between you two.”

He shakes his head. “You guys are full of it.”

“You were definitely jealous of Nick tonight,” Alex says. “And I would know.”

“Whatever.” Luke pushes off the couch and walks away from them. “I’m going to get some sleep. We have a big day tomorrow.”

He stretches out on the cushions where he’s made a make-shift bed for himself. He pulls a blanket over himself and turns to face the wall so Reggie and Alex can’t see him.

He knows it’s foolish to try and hide his feelings from them. They know him too well. Still, his feelings towards Julie are too fragile for him to feel comfortable talking about. He’s never sure if there is actually something going on between the two of them. 

Sometimes when she looks at him, he’s sure she feels the same way. Other times, he has the impression that she’s building up walls around herself and blocking him out. When they sang together yesterday, he was certain it was her way of showing her feelings. And when they were writing songs and messing around in the studio together, being around was as easy and natural as breathing. The musical seemed to eb and flow between them.

But everything changed again tonight. When Nick was around, Julie was a lot more guarded. Luke should have expected it - after all, she did talk about Nick when they were in the game together - but it still took him by surprise. 

Luke was definitely jealous of Nick. As ashamed of it as he is, he can’t deny it. Luke feels possessive over Julie in a way - not in a controlling or abusive way, but in the way that there’s something unique and special between them that he feels the need to protect. Nick seems like a nice guy, but his very presence threatens that something between them.

Luke also can’t stop thinking about what happened in the game. They never talked about it because so much has happened since, but Julie saved Luke’s life. He’ll never forget how he felt when he came back from the darkness to see her leaning over him, tears in her eyes and a relieved smile on her face. Sure, it wasn’t really her face, but it was her soul shining out through her eyes and the shape of her smile was the same.

He wants to talk to her about it. He wants to really thank her for saving his life. And not just his life in the game, but for sacrificing so much of her time to help them escape. She could have just left them there but she didn’t. Luke will never forget that.

Luke would be lying if he said he wasn’t a little worried about tomorrow. He’s excited for their band performance but he’s worried that she’s going to ignore him for Nick again. Julie is one of the only bright spots in his life since he learned that he lost not only twenty five years, but also that Bobby stole years of his work and his legacy.

If it wasn’t for Julie, Luke would have hunted down Bobby already. He knows that Alex and Reggie would be behind him. But Julie asked them not to, so they didn’t.

Luke still wants to go after Bobby eventually. The mean girl, Carrie, is apparently his daughter. It’s a perfect way in. Once things settle down, Luke will definitely arrange a chat. He’s not sure what he’s going to do yet, but he has to do something. 

Restarting his life from near scratch is hard enough as it is. Knowing that the person who stole his life’s work is profiting off it without remorse is too much. Luke is holding off for now because Julie asked him to, but a reckoning is inevitable.

Part of him hopes that their band with Julie gets big. One day, Bobby will see them perform and he’ll know. It will be the best revenge. He’ll be utterly freaked out. Bobby was always one of those highly spiritual and superstitious people. 

Luke pulls his blanket tighter around him and falls asleep.

-

“Okay.”

Julie stands in front of the full length mirror in the locker room. Around her, the other girls are also finishing dressing for their dance performance. Julie has several hangars with outfits on them, as she’s changing for both this performance, the band performance, and then of course into her homecoming dress.

For the dance performance, she wears a simple black dress and leaves her hair down, the wild curls springing out everywhere. 

“Five minutes!” their instructor yells through the doorway. Julie takes a deep breath to calm her nerves. Although the dance performance is the lesser of her worries between the two performances, she’s nervous about seeing Nick.

Last night her dreams had decided to torment her. They kept switching back and forth between being about her and Luke and her and Nick. Julie doesn’t remember all the details, but she’d been pretty shaken when she woke up. Now is not the time for her brain to run rampant.

When she’s certain she’s composed, she follows the others out into the hallway, where they line up outside the gym. Inside, the DJ is playing some dance music. The homecoming dance itself hasn’t gotten into full swing yet, especially since parents and families are invited to see the dance performance first.

The boys join them and partners begin to find each other. Nick touches her arm gently as he maneuvers past a few others to her side.

“Hey, partner,” he says, smiling. It sends a wave of reassurance through her and her nerves settle. “You ready?”

“Oh, yeah. I was born ready.”

When everyone is lined up, their instructor walks out onto the temporary stage on the far end of the gym. She welcomes everyone, gives out some reminders about the dance, and then introduces the class. They all walk out and take their positions.

Julie focuses on Nick as the music starts. They fall into the first few steps easily, the last week and a half of practice paying off. Julie feels all her problems disappear as she moves to the beat. Nick sets his arms around her waist for a small lift and she wonders why she ever even had second thoughts about him.

The next move has her turn away from him. He reaches out and takes her hand, turning her back around. 

Julie spins but it’s not Nick she spins into. It’s Luke.

She freezes. Around her, the audience and the other dancers have faded away. She looks back at him, noticing all at once his crisp white shirt tucked into dark dress pants and the way his hair is slicked back in an old-fashioned and formal style. He looks at her like she’s the only thing in the world. The music changes slightly, and Luke begins singing. 

_Step into my world  
Bittersweet love story about a girl  
Shook me to the core  
Voice like an angel  
I’ve never heard before_

As if he’d been the one in dance class with her instead of Nick, they start dancing. This dance isn’t the one they learned in class, but somehow Julie still knows the movements. And when Luke stops singing, she knows what her lyrics are.

_Here in front of me  
Shining so much brighter  
Than I have ever seen  
Life can be so mean  
But when he goes  
I know he doesn’t leave_

Luke sets his hand on her back and dips her before pulling her back up. They push away from each other as the chorus begins.

_The truth is finally breaking through  
Two worlds collide   
When I’m with you_

He dances back to her, ending on his knees as he takes her hand. She steps around him before twirling right into him. He wraps his arms around her legs and in one fluid motion lifts her into the air, spinning her around slowly as she throws out her arms.

_Our voices rise and soar so high  
We come to life when we’re  
In perfect harmony_

He slowly lets her down, his eyes never leaving hers. Julie can’t break away, either. He smiles a little as he takes her hands and they dance back and forth.

He half spins her so that her back is to his chest. She throws up her arms and he traces up them with his fingertips before threading his fingers through hers.

_We say we’re friends  
We play pretend  
You’re more to me  
We create   
A perfect harmony_

He presses her close to him, singing the last lines into her ears. He releases her to spin out. When she returns, her eyes widen as the eyes she meets belong to someone else.

Around them, cheers erupt for their performance. Julie stares at Nick in horror. He smiles and laughs.

“We nailed that!” he exclaims.

She’s too shocked to formulate words. She barely remembers to turn and bow with the rest of her class before they’re filed off the stage. Nick tries to say something else, but she doesn’t hear him.

“I - I have to get ready for my performance,” she stutters before taking off for the changing room.

She leans over the sink, splashing her face with water and breathing deeply. Flynn follows her a minute later, a smile on her face.

“Wow. That was pretty intense up there.” She cocks an eyebrow. “You and Nick, huh.”

Julie grabs a paper towel and dries her face. “Yeah, uh, big problem. The entire time I was dancing with Nick, I was imagining he was Luke.”

Flynn’s smile dissolves. “Oh, girl. You got it bad.”

“I know. And I thought I liked Nick, but now I think I like Luke more - ” She takes a deep breath. “I have to pull it together for this performance. I cannot freak out right now.”

“Okay. Here’s what you’re going to do.” Flynn grabs her arms and steadies her. “You are gonna get changed, and then you’re going to perform. You are not going to look into Luke’s big, beautiful, perfect eyes. Then we’re going to have fun killing it on the dance floor for the rest of the night and you can agonize over boys tomorrow.”

Julie nods. “Thanks, Flynn.”

She changes quickly, knowing she only has fifteen minutes before the band is supposed to be on. For her performance, she decided on a white off the shoulder blouse with blue and pink butterfly details, black and white color black pants, and she pulls her hair in a half-up, half-down style with matching butterfly clips. Flynn helps her with her hair.

When she reaches the back doors to the gym, she can hear the loud dance music pumping through the speakers. She opens the door to see a much smaller crowd of adults and a larger number of students. Due to Julie’s performance, the teachers haven’t kicked out the families yet. Off to the side, her side has one of his nicer cameras set up. Carlos and Tía are on the other side with smaller cameras.

On the temporary stage, the boys’ instruments are all set up. Someone wheeled in the piano from the choir room as well for Julie. Reggie is moving around, testing all the mics. How he can hear if they’re working above the sound of the dance music, Julie isn’t sure.

Flynn pushes her lightly forward. “Go on! And remember - don’t look at Luke.”

Julie takes a deep breath and steps out.

-

Luke tugs at the collar of his vest. Alex had insisted they break out their formal clothes since it’s a formal dance, and while Luke can’t deny that they look good, he also can’t deny his discomfort.

Alex is testing his bass drum, looking as comfortable as ever behind the drum set. He’s wearing a pale pink jacket with a white dress shirt that’s unbuttoned until about halfway down his chest and black dress pants. When he feels Luke’s eyes on him, he jerks his chin up in a nod and a chunk of his hair falls in his face.

Reggie is playing along on his bass to the song the DJ is playing on the speakers. He’s wearing a black long-sleeve shirt and pants with a scarlet red vest that matches the color of his bass guitar. His dark hair is slicked back and he has a wide smile.

Luke himself is just wearing a navy blue vest with minuscule black designs, matching pants, and all white shoes. He’s taken the tie that went with the outfit and tied it around his right bicep. The rush of nervousness and excitement that always fills him before a performance rushes through his veins and he can’t stand still.

He knows he should be focused on the music, but a good half of his brain is agonizing over Julie’s dance performance. She looked so good on stage it hurt. But it didn’t hurt quite as much as seeing her stare into Nick’s eyes dreamily. Luke thought that look was exclusively for him. He didn’t see her share it last night with Nick at the game.

He’d been teasing Julie about Nick at the game, but now he’s worried he took it too far. Maybe Julie really does like Nick a lot. Maybe he misinterpreted everything that’s happened between them. Maybe she only sees him as a friend.

Even though Luke feels more strongly towards her than that, he can be satisfied with being her friend. As long as they still share music together, they’ll always have a deep connection that no one can break.

He hears the doors open and watches as Flynn lightly shoves Julie out. Luke had thought the dress she wore for the dance fit her well, but it has nothing on her outfit now. The pants and shirt fit like they were designed for her and the butterflies pinned in her curly hair are such a reflection of the purity and innocence of her personality.

She walks on the stage and gives them all a brief nod. Luke is disappointed that her eyes seem to pass over him quickly, but he writes it off for nerves. It’s only her second public performance in over a year.

The DJ fades the song out and Flynn jumps on stage to introduce their band. Cheers go up from the crowd. Julie settles onto the piano bench, adjusts the mic, and, when silence falls, begins to play.

The first part of the song is just her and the piano. As much as Luke lives and breathes rock, he’ll never get tired of hearing her voice in its most simple form.

_Running from the past  
Tripping on the now  
What is lost can be found  
It’s obvious_

_And like a rubber ball  
We come bouncing back  
We all got a second act  
Inside of us_

Alex beats on his drums and then Luke and Reggie jump in with their guitars. Julie unhooks the mic and stands up, moving to dance in the space between the three of them.

_I believe, I believe  
That we’re just one dream  
Away from who we’re meant to be  
And that we’re standing on the edge of   
Something big something crazy  
Our best days are yet unknown  
That this moment is ours to own  
‘Cause we’re standing on the edge of great_

Julie dances with Reggie and Alex. Luke takes a step towards her when she spins his way, but instead of dancing with him she turns back to the front without so much as a glance at him. Hurt at the rejection lances through him and he steps back over to his mic to sing the backing vocals for the rest of the chorus.

The second chorus is Luke’s. Out of the corner of his eye, he notices Julie stepping back over towards Reggie.

_Now we all make mistakes  
But they’re just stepping stones  
To take us where we want to go  
It’s never straight, no_

He stares at her the entire time. When he reaches the last line she finally looks over. He jerks his head to the side, inviting her to come over to him. With a deliberately dramatic motion, she raises her mic and takes a step away from him. 

She’s definitely avoiding him now. There’s no doubt about it. Luke tries to ignore how much pain it’s causing him, but he can’t. Singing with others, connecting with them through music - that’s his love language. Her outright avoidance of him is like twisting something he loves into something cruel. He can’t help the hurt expression that he knows is probably written all over his face.

_Sometimes we gotta lean  
Lean on someone else  
To get a little help  
Until we find our way_

Julie rocks out in the middle for a few more seconds before moving to the front of the stage. Luke can’t help but follow her progress. He’s only half in the performance now; the other half of his mind is wondering what he did to make Julie treat him like this. She didn’t seem mad at him earlier today, and even last night he thought she was only slightly annoyed by his tactics.

Reggie crosses over, concern in his eyes. He follows Luke’s gaze to Julie. An incredulous expression crosses his face, though whether he’s shocked that Julie is avoiding Luke or he’s surprised at something else, Luke can’t tell. Reggie gives him a supportive look before crossing back to his mic to sing back up.

_I believe, I believe  
That we’re just one dream  
Away from who we’re meant to be  
And that we’re standing on the edge of   
Something big something crazy  
Our best days are yet unknown  
That this moment is ours to own  
‘Cause we’re standing on the edge of great_

Julie climbs up on the top of the piano as they head into the bridge, finding a comfortable spot to sit on. The crowd is absolutely rocking out now, and Luke wishes he could enjoy it. This is their best performance by far and all he can think about is how Julie is giving him the cold shoulder.

_Shout, Shout  
C’mon, let it out, out  
Don’t gotta hide it  
Let your colors blind their eyes  
Be who you are no compromise  
Shout, Shout  
C’mon, let it out out  
What doesn’t kill you makes you feel alive_

Julie moves to the middle of the piano, one knee down and the other tensed as she leads into her little pre-chorus. They’d practiced it with just her singing, but a sudden urge overcomes Luke and he creeps up towards her, writing a guitar riff on the fly that duets perfectly with her voice. When he’s right next to her, she finally looks down at him, beaming at him. 

_I believe, I believe  
That we’re just one dream  
Away from who we’re meant to be  
And now I’m standing on the edge of -_

A slow, relieved smile stretches across his face right before she explodes upward into the high note. He moves back to his mic, the pain washed away and excitement filling him again.

_Great!  
Something big, something crazy  
Our best days are yet unknown  
That this moment is ours to own  
‘Cause we’re standing on the edge of great_

Julie slides off the top of the piano and moves back to the bench, where she slides the mic back in its holder and begins playing the chords again. The song winds down. The boys drop out, leaving just piano and voice.

Luke slides over onto the piano bench right next to her, sharing her mic and staring into her eyes as they duet the final lines of the song.

_Running from the past  
Tripping on the now  
What is lost can be found  
It’s obvious_

For a full three seconds after the song ends, Luke and Julie stare into each other’s eyes. The world around them doesn’t exist. The music has faded out but their connection is still there. Julie has a small smile on face. His eyes drop to her lips. They’re mere inches apart.

Applause breaks out and Luke leans back. He thinks he sees a brief flash of disappointment on her face before she turns to see the crowds and her eyes brighten once more. He watches her, his heart full.

It was a good moment. A great moment, in fact. But it wasn’t the right moment. There’s still so much uncertainty between them. He doesn’t want to make a move until he’s sure she wants it. After what just happened, he knows for sure there’s a spark between them, but he also saw some sparks between her and Nick. If she’s torn, he doesn’t want to force her into a decision she’s not ready to make.

They all bow and Flynn hypes up the crowd for them once more before they exit the stage. Julie goes into the dressing room, dragging Flynn along with her, and the boys head to the stage.

The moment Julie is out of sight, both Reggie and Alex surround him, throwing their arms around him.

“You still gonna deny it?” Alex asks.

Luke is too happy to be embarrassed. He just smiles.

“You should have seen Nick’s face,” Reggie says. “He knows it’s game over for him.”

Before Luke can respond, they turn a corner and run straight into a group of girls. They immediately swarm them, asking questions and gushing about their performance and dragging them into the gym.

There’s nothing they can do except get swept along in the tide.

-

“That was amazing!” Flynn’s smile is wider than Julie has ever seen it. “You wrote that song?”

“Luke and I did.” Julie begins kicking off her shoes. Her face is still hot from being so close to him. She could feel his breath on her face when they sang that close. She swears he almost kissed her, and even though the whole school and her father would have seen it, she’s disappointed that he didn’t.

“It was an awesome song. But major fail on the whole eye-contact thing.” Flynn crosses her arms. “It was pretty obvious to everyone that there’s something going on between you two.”

“But there isn’t,” Julie protests. She may not like that there’s nothing going on, but it’s the truth. “That was the first time he’s ever made a move, and I’m not even sure that counts as making a move.”

She’d saved from having to argue further when her phone buzzes. She picks up and hears her dad’s voice on the other end of the line.

“Julie! That was awesome, sweetie! You looked and sounded so good up there!”

“Thanks!” She holds the phone between her chin and her shoulder as she undresses. “I saw you guys recording.”

“We got it all on camera! If you don’t mind, I think I’m going to post it on Youtube and Facebook and share it to the whole family.”

She laughs. “Okay, whatever, Dad.”

His turns serious. “I didn’t know you were in a band, Julie.”

“It’s, uh, very recent. Like, we just started playing together this week. I don’t even know if we’ve officially decided to be a band.”

“You should! You guys were really good together.” He pauses. “Am I ever going to get to meet these bandmates of yours?”

“Uh...yeah! Definitely. But can we talk about it later? I’m trying to get back to the dance.”

“Of course. Have fun and be safe! I love you.”

“I love you, too, Dad.”

She hangs up and exhales deeply. Flynn is giving her a look.

“You’re going to have to tell him that they’re living in your garage,” she says. “You know it’s only a matter of time before he finds out, and I bet it will be so much easier if you just tell him yourself.”

“I know. But not tonight.”

Julie pulls on her homecoming dress. It’s a two-piece white dress with a silver lining on the top hem of the skirt and the bottom hem of the top. The top is asymmetrical with one sleeveless side and a long sleeve on the other. The skirt is tight fitting but has a ruffled pattern that gives it some volume.

Flynn’s homecoming dress is black knee-length with short sleeves and overlaid entirely with silver and gold rhinestones. She and Julie twirl in front of the mirror before heading back into the gym.

A techno song is throbbing through the air, sending loud vibrations up Julie’s feet. Like all high school girls at a formal dance, she and Flynn had opted to go barefoot. 

“What’s going on over there?” Flynn shouts over the music. She points to a mob of people pressing against each other.

They slip through the crowd. In the middle is a small circle with two dancers facing off with each other. Julie notices Luke and Reggie on the edge of the circle, clapping and cheering, before she realizes that Alex is one of the dancers. The other dancer is a guy from her dance class. Alex’s moves are definitely more nineties in style, but he’s still killing it.

“You didn’t tell me Alex was such a good dancer!” Flynn exclaims.

“I didn’t know he was!”

The dance circle dissolves when the song ends. Julie and Flynn wait for the boys a little ways away. When they join them, Julie punches Alex’s shoulder gently.

“Those were killer moves!”

“Oh, yeah. I can’t help myself. It’s my feet.”

A few of Julie and Flynn’s other friends join them and they create their own little dance circle within the gym. A half hour later, Julie feels someone tap on her shoulder and she sees Nick standing behind her.

“Come join us!” she says, tugging on his arm. A shy smile crosses his face and he joins their circle as well.

It’s Julie’s favorite homecoming dance by far. They all stay in their little circle, ignoring everything else around them except for the music. Whatever drama is going on between people in their group is forgotten in the moment. They just all dance together, taking turns making up choreography on the fly and teaching the others. Julie’s calves burn from jumping up and down and her arms ache but her heart is full.

There are three slow songs played throughout the night. Julie avoids the first by sneaking out to go to the bathroom. She dances with Flynn during the second one and with Reggie during the third. Every time a slow song comes on, there’s a line of about a dozen girls trying to get in with the boys, Nick included. Flynn saves Luke and Alex by dancing with them when she’s not dancing with Julie, and Nick dances with the other girls in their group. It’s an interesting arrangement, but it prevents the drama or awkwardness that Julie is fearful might happen if she makes a move toward either Luke or Nick or they toward her.

Still, despite Julie’s best attempts to remain neutral during the dance, she can’t help herself from constantly looking over at Luke. It doesn’t help that he’s dancing right across the circle from her, where it’s natural for her to look even if it wasn’t him. Every time their eyes meet - and it happens a lot - she remembers their moment together at the end of the song.

That is, of course, not the only thing she has to deal with. Nick is dancing right next to her and sometimes their hands or arms brush. Between Luke’s eyes and Nick’s touch, Julie is slowly being driven crazy. She’s just glad for the dim lighting and the proximity of her other friends.

Julie’s favorite moment of the night comes when the DJ plays “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey. The boys don’t know most of the songs being played, as a lot of them were written after their time, but they not only know this classic, they also love it. Julie finds herself dancing in the middle of their friend circle, belting out the lyrics with Luke, Alex, and Reggie. Luke also sings all the guitar interludes, his hands pantomime playing it on guitar. Reggie bops out to the bass line and Alex air-drums at certain parts and Julie pretends to hold a microphone.

Even though that’s one of the only moments Julie distinctly remembers, the entire night was full of them. After the craziness of the past two weeks, Julie feels herself unwind and she remembers what it’s like to be a normal teenager again, being young and living it up with all her friends. Her heart soars.

The night comes too quickly to an end. As midnight nears, the DJ announces that the next song will be the last. Flynn ducks out early to go to the bathroom before the stalls are all taken and Reggie and Alex are talking to some guys from the senior class who had drifted over a few minutes ago. Julie doesn’t think twice until the last song begins and it’s a slow song.

Her eyes dart wildly around. The others in their group are either gone or have paired off, leaving just her, Nick and Luke. 

Julie is not in the state of mind to make a coherent decision. She’s been torn between the boys for too long and the last thing she wants to do is ruin what has been one of the best nights of her life by causing drama. She immediately decides to say yes to whichever one approaches her first.

Despite her conflicted feelings, Julie can’t help the relief and happiness she feels when Luke’s eyes catch hers and he crosses the space between them, holding out his hand. He raises an eyebrow in question and she answers it by taking his hand.

This dance is nothing like the one she imagined in her head when she was dancing with Nick. There’s no crazy choreography, no romantic setting, no duet singing. They’re just holding each other and swaying back and forth to an Ed Sheeran song and it’s perfect in its simplicity.

The song ends and they step away from each other. The lights go up and everyone starts streaming out of the gym before anyone can see them with messy hair, smudged make-up, and skewed clothing from hours of dancing. Julie and her friends are some of the last to go, meeting up once more and saying goodnight.

Nick hangs back while Julie says goodbye to the others. A part of her is dreading speaking to him, not because she doesn’t want to but because she’s afraid of what she’ll see in his eyes. She knows how the last two days must have looked from his point of view - last night she went on a kinda date with him and tonight she’s been all over a different boy.

Nick simply smiles. “You look beautiful, Julie.”

“Thanks. You don’t look too bad yourself.” She smiles back.

“Thanks for being my dance partner and everything. I’ve really enjoyed spending more time with you.”

“Me, too.”

He gives her a hug and waves goodbye as he walks out of the gym. Soon it’s just Flynn, Julie, and the boys. Luke, Reggie, and Alex wait while the girls retrieve their bags and extra clothes from the dressing room.

“Maybe going back to high school won’t be so bad,” Alex says as they walk outside. None of them brought coats and the cool night air raises goosebumps on their arms. Only Alex, in his jacket, is spared.

“We’re already super popular and we haven’t even started school yet,” Reggie says. “Remember how uncool we were the first time we went to high school?”

“That’s because teenagers today really dig the vibes from the nineties,” Luke replies. “We were normal in our time, but we’re like gods here.”

Flynn suddenly freezes. Julie looks back at her. “You coming?”

Flynn’s eyes dart from the boys to Julie back to the boys. She reaches up a shaking finger. “Did he just say - ”

Julie suddenly remembers that in all the craziness of the past few days, she never told Flynn about the boys being from the past. All Flynn knew was that they were staying under the radar because they didn’t want to try to explain what happened when they went missing for months. Julie is surprised that Flynn didn’t find that weird before.

Julie glances back at the boys and sees the same realization on their faces.

“You might want to sit down for this,” she says, turning back to Flynn. “It’s a long, weird story…”


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All rights belong to the creators and writers of Julie and the Phantoms (2020). I take no credit, and I do not mean to break any copyright rules. This is simply a work of fiction made for enjoyment. No money is being made.
> 
> Rating: G

**Chapter 20**

Julie is eating a late breakfast with her dad the next morning when Carlos rushes into the house, the door slamming shut behind him. His eyes are wide and he pauses to catch his breath, his hands on his knees.

“Carlos? _¿Qué pasa?_ ”

“There are three homeless guys living in our garage!” Carlos exclaims.

Julie freezes, her spoonful of cereal halfway to their mouth. Her dad jumps up.

“What? Are you sure?”

Carlos nods. “I was out playing basketball and I heard a noise from inside the garage. I opened the door and there they were! You have to call the police!”

Her dad hesitates. “Did you see who they were?”

“I ran out of there as fast as I could! I wasn’t about to stay and chat!”

Julie’s heart is racing nearly out of her chest. She lowers her spoon slowly. She thought she’d have a few days before telling her dad. Now it’s going to be so much worse.

Flynn warned her, and she brushed her off.

“Let’s talk to them first,” her dad says. “I don’t want to call the police if we can resolve it with a talk.”

“What if they’re dangerous?” Carlos presses. “I mean, who breaks into other people’s garages?”

“They’re not,” Julie cuts in. She stands slowly as Carlos and her father swivel to face her.

“You know them?” her father asks, his voice dangerously calm. Julie knows she’s in deep trouble.

“Yeah, _papi_ , I do.” 

“And you knew they were living in the garage?”

She takes a deep breath. “I invited them.”

She braces for anger, but instead her dad and Carlos just look at her in silent confusion and amazement. 

“You...invited three men to live in our garage?” her dad finally chokes out.

Carlos makes the sign of a cross. “I knew there was something wrong with her. She’s been acting weird the past few weeks. What have they done to you, Julie?!”

She rolls her eyes at his dramatics. “Nothing, Carlos. It’s - I can explain.”

“Then please, explain.” Her father tentatively takes his seat back across from her, his eyes never leaving her.

“They’re just three teenagers I met recently.” She pauses, remembering the fake backstory she and Flynn created to explain them to the school. It’s way too flimsy for her dad to buy into. She’s going to have to do some major improvisation. “They’re from Sweden, actually. They came to the U.S. because...because their parents were caught up in a money laundering scheme and were sent to prison. And the guys didn’t have any other family to take care of them. So I invited them here.”

Her dad’s expression is unchanged. He doesn’t buy into one bit. “And how did you meet three Swedish boys?”

“Uh...online. Yeah, we played some video games online together. And they’re also musicians.” Julie presses her lips together and nods. “Yup, they’re in a band. They’re actually the ones who played with me last night at the dance.”

Carlos’ jaw drops. “How long have they been living in the garage?”

“Just a couple days,” she says quickly. “They came to the U.S. on Wednesday. I meant to tell you, Dad, I really did. There was just so much going on.”

He stares at her in disbelief for a moment before burying his face into his hands. Julie looks over at Carlos in alarm, and he shakes his head at her.

“Look what you did. You broke Dad.”

Their dad raises his head. “I just don’t get it, Julie. Why didn’t you tell me earlier? You know I would have done something to help. Why would you just hide three boys in our garage? That’s not fair to Carlos or me or them.”

“I’m really sorry. It just happened so fast.”

“I don’t know what to say.” He shakes his head. “This isn’t the kind of situation they cover in parenting books. What to do when your teenage daughter is hiding three foreign teenage boys in the garage. Not a chapter that exists.”

“We could call Tía,” Carlos suggests.

“No!” Julie and her dad both shout at the same time. “Absolutely not.”

Julie watches her dad closely. She can tell that he doesn’t believe her fully and that he’s torn on what to do. Broken families are his weakness, especially since their mother died; if Julie presses on that spot, she knows she can win him over.

“Please, Dad,” she says. “I know I made a mistake. And you can punish me however you want. But please let them stay. They have no one else. All they want is a good, safe home.”

He sighs. Julie’s heart drops. It wasn’t quite enough to win him over.

She plays her last card. “They’re really good guys, Dad. They’re the ones who got me into music again.”

He rubs his face with his hand. “Fine. But before I make a final decision, I have to meet them. And you’re definitely grounded for at least a week. Maybe more, if Tía makes a fuss.”

It’s a lot less of a punishment than Julie was expecting. Her heart soars. “Thank you! You’ll love them, I promise.”

“And you get to be the one to explain all this to your aunt.”

And there it is. But it’s still totally worth it. “Deal.”

Julie leads the way to the garage. Her father and brother follow behind her, Carlos unnecessarily grabbing a baseball bat on the way out.

When she opens the doors, she finds the boys sitting nicely on the couch, looking up with faces full of shame. If she weren’t in so much trouble, it would make her laugh.

“Dad, Carlos, meet Alex, Luke, and Reggie.” She points to them as she introduces each other. They all give a small half-wave. Julie raises her voice slightly louder, hoping the boys pick up on her not-so-subtle cue. “Even though they’re from Sweden, they speak perfect English.”

“Hi. I’m Ray.” Her dad steps forward and offers his hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you, too.” Reggie shoots Julie an excited look. 

“So, uh.” Her dad shoves his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “Julie told me your parents were busted for money laundering.”

All three boys shoot Julie a look. She lifts her shoulders and gives them a _just go with it_ look.

Her dad interprets the look from the boys differently. “I’m not here to judge you,” he says quickly. “I’m just trying to figure out what’s going on.”

“That’s right, sir.” Alex clears his throat. “But none of us were close with our parents. We don’t - we’re not like them.”

“Of course.” Ray glances back at Julie. He looks so awkward, as if he doesn’t know how to interact with strange teenagers. “Are you guys in school?”

“We start on Monday.” 

“Good. Uh - how old are you, anyway?”

“We’re all seventeen,” Luke says.

Her dad glances around. He sees some of the piles of clothes. “You guys didn’t bring a lot with you.”

“No, sir.” 

Julie can tell by now that her father is just wasting time. He doesn’t have any more questions right now, though she’s sure he’ll think of more in the days to come. He’s never been the best at on-the-spot parenting.

“We’ll figure out something better than the garage for you,” he finally says. “I’m sorry my daughter made you guys stay out here.”

“It’s totally fine,” Luke says. “It reminds us of our old music studio...back in Sweden.”

“I have a few questions.” Carlos steps forward, pounding his bat into his hand in a show of intimidation. Julie has to cover her mouth with her hand to keep from laughing. 

“First - do you plan on bringing communism to the U.S.?”

The boys glance at each other. Alex says, “Sweden isn’t communist…” He trails off and shoots Julie a look, as if asking if that’s still true.

“Wrong answer. Next question.” Carlos points his bat straight at them. Because Luke is in the middle, it ends up almost right in his face. “What are your intentions with my sister?”

Luke blanches. Julie raises an eyebrow. Reggie jumps in, saving them. “We want her to be the lead singer in our band. She’s amazingly talented.”

Carlos retracts the bat. “I’ll accept that. My final question: what are your thoughts on the Star Wars prequels?”

Reggie’s jaw drops open. “There are prequels? They made more?”

“Good answer. Denial.” Carlos turns to their father. “I think they’re okay.”

“Okay.” Julie’s dad rocks back and forth on his heels. “Julie, why don’t you give them a tour of the house? I’m going to try and find somewhere better for them to sleep.”

Alex, Luke, and Reggie manage to keep it together until her dad and brother are gone. Then they leap up and crush her in a large group hug.

“Julie, I love your family already,” Reggie says. 

“I can’t believe your dad is so chill about this,” Alex adds. 

Although Luke has a relieved smile on his face, he doesn’t seem quite as enthusiastic as the others. Julie can’t tell if she’s reading too deeply into it or not, so she ignores it for now.

“I know you guys already snooped around, but I’ll give you the official tour.”

She takes them everywhere except her room, where she only allows them a peek inside. Since she busted them for going through her stuff the other day, none of them protest. In Carlos’ room, he proudly shows off his Lego Star Wars models for Reggie, who freaks out and forces Carlos to promise to watch the “new movies” with him.

In the basement, they find Ray pulling out old mattresses from storage. There’s a large room with the washer, drier, and a few shelves full of miscellaneous items next to a section that serves as their family hang-out room, which has a few old couches, a coffee table, and a TV. 

“I think if we push these shelves back against the wall and get rid of some of this junk, we’ll have plenty of space for a room here. Then all we have to do is hang up some curtains for privacy.” Julie’s dad turns back to the boys. “What do you think? It’s not much, I know, but - ”

“This is great,” Alex says. “Thank you.”

Her dad turns to her. “That’s another one of your punishments - you have to go through all this stuff and make room for them.”

Julie and the boys work all afternoon, sorting through the items on the shelves and cleaning up the room. In the end, they fill up five trash bags worth of stuff to throw out and clear out a rather large area. Julie had no idea their basement was so big.

They set up the mattresses on the floor in a U-shape and Julie scrounges up sheets, pillows, and blankets. The boys carry in their stuff from the garage. Her dad brings a few sets of black out curtains from the store along with wire and after a lot of trouble and laughs, they manage to hang it up.

“Home sweet home,” Reggie says, collapsing onto the mattress he claimed for himself. He’s had the widest smile on his face the entire time. Watching him, Julie feels even happier. She’s glad it’s all working out for them.

There’s the sound of footsteps on the stairs and her dad appears, a large cardboard box in his arms with a Chinese design on the front. He sets it on the table in front of the TV. Carlos follows close behind, two two-liter sodas in his arms.

“I don’t know what you guys eat in Sweden and I’m not mentally prepared to cook for six, so I ordered take-out.” He reaches up and scratches the back of his head. 

“Awesome!” Luke vaults over the back of the couch. “Did you get egg rolls?”

Reggie is right behind him. “Please tell me there’s beef and broccoli.”

Alex shakes his head. “I am very sorry about them.”

Julie cues up The Office while the boys dive into the food. Reggie sits between Carlos and Ray on one couch and Julie sits between Alex and Luke on the other. 

“He looks just like you, Luke,” Reggie says, pointing at Jim. “Same hairstyle, too.”

“What? No. Not at all.” Luke crosses his arms.

“Acts like you, too,” Alex says.

“And you know who you’re like?” Luke points on the screen to Toby. “That’s you, Alex. One hundred percent.”

Alex’s jaw drops. “No way.”

“Maybe just a little,” Reggie agrees. 

“You’ve really never heard of this show before?” Carlos asks. “Never seen memes?”

The boys shake their heads. Carlos begins listing off popular shows and asking if they’ve heard of it.

“We’re pretty heavily invested in our music,” Alex finally says when Carlos’ brain is about to explode. “We don’t watch very much TV.”

“I’ve heard that school in Europe is a lot harder than in the U.S.,” Julie’s dad says. “Is that true?”

The boys glance at each other. Julie wills them not to say anything about dropping out.

“I don’t think we’ll know until we try out American school,” Reggie finally says.

Ray pats his pockets until he finds his phone. “Actually, I really need to get your phone numbers in case there’s an emergency, and you should probably have mine.”

“We don’t - uh - “ Luke glances over at Julie for help.

“Their cell phones were taken as evidence during their parents’ trial,” Julie makes up. “They’ll have to get new ones. Maybe we can book a few gigs to raise money?”

Her dad nods. “That sounds like a good idea. In the meantime, I think I still have your mother’s phone around somewhere. They can share it.”

They watch through the first complete season of The Office before her dad calls it a night and heads upstairs. Carlos insists on catching the boys up on Star Wars, even though Reggie is the only one super into it, and he puts on The Phantom Menace.

“This movie isn’t really necessary,” he explains to Reggie, “but it’s still a fun movie. But I have to warn you, the CGI is really bad in some places and a lot of the writing is corny.”

Julie keeps looking over to see Reggie’s reactions to the movie. His eyes are wide and his mouth open most of the time. 

“These effects are so good!” he exclaims, to Carlos’ complete horror. 

Carlos doesn’t give up until Reggie proclaims that he loves Jar Jar Binks. Even Alex and Luke throw pillows at him for that, but Carlos simply gets up and walks out. Julie laughs so hard her side hurts.

She can’t remember the last time she felt this happy. Even at the dance, her happiness had lacked a certain depth to it. This is the kind of happiness one can only find with family, found or real. This is the kind of happiness that has been missing in their home since her mother’s death.

Julie had no idea it would take three boys from the nineties to bring the heart back into their home, but life works in unexpected ways.

When the end credits are rolling, Julie leans forward to shut the TV off. She looks over to the couch where Reggie now sits alone and notices that he’s crying.

“Reggie? Are you okay?” 

She glances back at the TV, trying to remember what happened in the movie that could make him cry. Qui Gon’s death?

“It’s not the movie.” He swallows. “It's your family. They’re so - ” He squeezes his eyes shut again.

“His parents fought a lot when he grew up,” Alex says quietly to her. “There wasn’t a lot of love in his home.”

Julie’s heart clenches in her chest. She walks over and sits by him, wrapping her arms around him. She can’t imagine what growing up in that environment must have been like. Her parents almost never fought, and even then they never stayed mad at each other. Even after her mother’s death, her dad never distanced himself from her and Carlos. If anything, it brought them closer together than ever.

She holds Reggie until he’s done crying. When he leans away and wipes at his face, he manages a smile.

“Thank you, Julie. For everything.”

She smiles back at him. “Don’t thank me yet. You haven’t met my aunt.”

Julie waits until she’s sure they’re settled in for the night before heading upstairs. Her dad is still awake, waiting in the living room. She knows without him saying anything that he wants to speak to her.

“They seem like really nice boys,” he says. “I think...I think we’re going to have a full house.”

“You won’t regret letting them stay here,” she promises. “They just want to make music and be happy.”

“I believe you. But please, don’t invite any more strangers you meet on the internet over until you talk to me first.”

“I promise.”

She’s about to leave when a small, ironic smile crosses his face. “You know, your mom and I always wanted five kids.”

“Really?”

“Really.” He laughs. “Then we had two and we realized how much work kids are.”

“Maybe she’s working behind the scenes and sent them here. She knew our house was too quiet.”

Her dad’s face is both sad and hopeful. “This is exactly the sort of trouble she’d make from heaven, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.” Julie feels a lump in her throat. She stands. “Goodnight, Dad. Love you.”

“I love you, too, Julie.”


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All rights belong to the creators and writers of Julie and the Phantoms (2020). I take no credit, and I do not mean to break any copyright rules. This is simply a work of fiction made for enjoyment. No money is being made.
> 
> Rating: K+
> 
> Author's Note: Credit goes to JATP Tumblr fandom for the headcanon of the band messing around with Luke's lyrics.

**Chapter 21**

“You can’t wear that.”

Julie sets her hands on her hips as she faces Luke. He’s standing in the kitchen, a bowl of cereal in his hand. Alex and Reggie watch from where they sit at the table.

Luke glances down at his outfit, consisting of a cut-off T-shirt and jeans. “Why not?”

“School dress codes. You can’t show your shoulders.”

“Wait - shoulders?” Alex looks aghast. “What’s wrong with shoulders?”

Julie shrugs. “Apparently people have ‘trouble paying attention in class’ when there are open shoulders. The rule was actually made originally for girls to ‘protect’ boys, but then the students had a big protest a couple years ago and the administration changed the rule to apply to everyone. It's a whole thing."

Alex shakes his head slowly. “I hate straight people.”

“This is ridiculous.” Luke sets his cereal down and looks down at his shoulders, flexing his arms in the process. “Why would this be distracting?”

Julie can’t give him an answer. She always thought the rule was stupid until now. Looking at Luke’s biceps, she suddenly understands where the rule comes from.

She clears her throat and forces herself to look away. “Doesn’t matter. I don’t make the rules, I’m just telling you them.”

“But that Carrie chick and her friends were wearing crop tops at the assembly,” Reggie argues. “Is that not outlawed?”

“I think it's against the rules as well, but the teachers don’t dare say anything about crop tops in case they get accused of sexualizing students. It’s really only the shoulder rule that gets enforced.”

“You know, I’m not sure Luke actually has any shirts with sleeves,” Alex says as they watch Luke run downstairs. “He may have to buy some.”

“I think we all may have to buy new clothes,” Reggie says. “I only have like two outfits.”

Luke returns a minute later, wearing the same oversized flannel he wore to the football game. “This is all I have,” he says. “I’m going to be like some cartoon character.”

“Welcome to American high school in the year 2020.” Julie sets her dish in the sink and glances at the clock. “The bus comes in ten minutes. The bus stop is at the end of the street, so we should probably leave soon.”

The boys finish eating and head out with her. Carlos joins them at the last minute. He’s still a little awkward around the boys, but he quickly falls into step with Reggie and talks Star Wars. Apparently Carlos has forgiven him for finding Jar Jar Binks funny.

On the bus, Alex and Reggie sit together. Julie finds her normal spot, and Luke tries to sit next to her.

“Sorry,” she says, setting her backpack on the seat. “That’s Flynn’s spot.”

Luke frowns and he looks so crushed that her resolve nearly crumbles. Then he takes a seat by a girl in Julie’s class who always sits alone and reads on the bus. When Luke sits next to her, she looks up and her jaw drops. Julie can’t hear them talking, but she watches as Luke introduces himself and shares that bright smile of his.

It shouldn’t irritate Julie, but it does. It’s her own fault for not letting him sit by her. Besides, he’s probably just being friendly. There’s no reason for her to think twice about it.

Julie’s mind brings up the memory of singing and dancing with him at the dance, feeling his arms around her and his face only inches from hers. She crosses her arms over her chest and slumps in her seat.

Flynn sits down heavily next to her when she gets on. “So, how are the phantoms?” she asks. “And can we just acknowledge how my band naming was spot on, even though I had no idea?”

Julie remembers how freaked Flynn had been when she learned the truth. She seems more comfortable now, but Julie’s sure she hasn’t heard the end of it.

“They discovered the limitations of the school dress code this morning and weren’t thrilled,” Julie replies. “I guess I’m going to have to take them shopping.”

“Well I can’t blame them. The eighties and nineties were a wild time. They probably got away with everything in school.” 

“Considering they dropped out of school completely, I think it’s safe to say that they _literally_ got away with everything.”

“True. So, I got your text about your dad and Carlos finding out. How did that go?”

“Surprisingly well. My dad kinda acted like it was a huge deal and he was only doing it because he felt bad for them, but I think he secretly loves it. The house has felt so empty since Mom died, and having the boys there fills up a lot of that space. And Carlos is quickly finding a new best friend in Reggie, though I think he’s kinda suspicious of Luke.”

“Oh, yeah? And does he have anything to suspect?” Flynn raises her eyebrows at Julie. “‘Cause what I saw at the dance - ”

“I don’t know.”

“But you do like him, right?”

Julie smiles a little. “Yeah, I do. But we haven’t talked about it or anything.”

“Do you have to? I think it’s pretty obvious that you guys are head over heels for each other.”

Julie glances around and then lowers her voice. “Maybe, maybe not. Before I met the boys, I was going through their stuff in the garage and I came across Luke’s songbook. There was a song in there about a girl named Emily.”

Flynn frowns. “But didn’t you tell me that Trevor Wilson stole all of their songs? Like, even to the point of stealing ‘My Name is Luke’? I don’t remember one about a girl named Emily.”

“Yeah, and that’s what makes it so much worse. If even their old bandmate, who apparently had no qualms about stealing their lives’ work, had enough respect to not use that song, then it must have been written about someone really important to Luke.”

Understanding passes across Flynn’s face. She reaches out. “I’m sorry, Julie. But have you talked to him about it? Maybe it was a friend of his, or a sister.”

“The lyrics were, ‘If you could only know that I never let you go’ and ‘write in every empty space the words I love you in replace’.”

Flynn grimaces. “Okay, maybe not. But that was twenty five years ago.”

“Not for Luke.”

“So, maybe you and Luke aren’t meant to be. What about Nick? Or have you totally forgotten about him already?”

Julie lifts her shoulders and lets them drop. “I don’t know. There’s so much going on right now. I don’t want to be involved in any drama.”

“That’s understandable. You don’t need a relationship, anyway.”

When the bus drops them off at school, Julie reunites with the boys. She tugs them through the halls, her quick pace keeping them from getting stopped by too many new fans. She practically breathes a sigh of relief when they reach the office.

The guidance counselor, Mrs. Hill, sits them down in her office. She encourages Julie to stay, since Julie represents their host family.

“First of all, welcome to Los Feliz.” She smiles warmly at them. “And welcome to America. If I understand correctly, you’ve only been here for a week?”

The boys nod.

“I will admit that it’s a strange time in the semester to start school, but I’m sure your teachers will be accommodating. Now, you all are the equivalent of seniors, correct? Good. That makes it much easier, since you won’t have to go through SAT or ACT practice testing or any of the extra activities the juniors have to do.” She types at her computer. “So, what kinds of classes did you take in Sweden? And are there any you need to take here to get credit so you can graduate?”

“We took a lot of music classes,” Alex says. “We went to a high school that specializes in music. They have different types of high schools in Europe. There aren’t any classes that we need to take necessarily.”

Julie could kiss him. She knows that Reggie and Luke for sure didn’t do any research on Sweden, but thank God Alex did. He’s the only reason they might actually pull this off.

The counselor looks relieved to hear that. “Well, that makes my job much easier. Our school has a few class requirements, but there’s a lot of room to work within them. I already have all three of you down for the upper level music class. Now you just need one English class, one math class, one science class, and two elective classes.”

She slides them each a printed handout with the class options. “Put a star next to the ones you want. The farther down on the list they are, the higher level they are. Normally we wouldn’t allow seniors to take freshman English classes, but we do make exceptions with exchange students due to the language barrier. Although,” she adds, “your English has been infallible so far.”

Julie watches as they skim the class lists. They compare with each other and Reggie is the first one to hand over his list.

Mrs. Hill reads it aloud. “Twelve grade Literature, Advanced Placement Chemistry, Calculus, Advanced Placement Physics and Sports.” She looks over her glasses at him. “You’re interested in STEM?”

Julie is surprised. Reggie had always seemed to her like the goofiest one of the group. She never would have thought that he might be really booksmart.

“Yeah. I like those classes.”

Mrs. Hill nods and signs off on it. “Alright. You might have to do some extra catch up, unless you’ve already taken a lot of those classes in your old high school, but I’m sure you’ll do fine.”

Alex hands his over. “Twelve grade Literature, Biology, Worldly Math, Psychology, and Sports. That’s a pretty typical schedule.”

Luke is the last. “Twelve grade Literature, Anatomy and Physiology, College Algebra, Modern American History and Sports class as well.” Mrs. Hill pushes up her glasses. “These are good schedules. I am a bit surprised at your choice of English class, though. Twelfth grade Lit has a lot of tough books and dives pretty deeply into them.”

“We were in a book club in Sweden,” Alex explains. “We read a lot of English books.”

“We’re all about those metaphors,” Luke agrees.

“Well, that explains why your English is so good.” Mrs. Hill smiles at them. “Give me five minutes to input these into the system and I’ll have it ready for you. I’m sure Julie can show you guys around. If there are any issues and you need to change a class out or if you just want to talk, my office is always open.”

Julie gives them a quick tour around the school, making sure they all have a map in case they can’t remember where to go. Then she drops them off at their first classes.

“We’ll see each other in the music room for the fourth period,” Julie reminds them. “If you’re not there, I’ll assume you’re lost.”

Her first class is nearly over by the time she gets to it. Her second class, Calculus, she has with Reggie. She introduces him to the teacher and convinces the girl who sits next to her to switch seats so she can sit by Reggie. Even though it’s only his first day back in school, he already understands the material way better than she does.

During dance class, she’s surprised to find that the boys’ P.E. class is still staying with them. Luckily it’s not the same P.E. class that Luke, Reggie, and Alex are in. That would just be way too awkward, especially considering how she imagined dancing with Luke instead of Nick at the dance and then actually danced with Luke.

She’s dreading seeing Nick again, for fear of him looking hurt or disappointed, but he’s his usual cheery self. They start learning a new dance and Julie finds it all too easy to lose herself in the process. She and Nick fumble around and laugh a lot. Being around him is so effortless. She can’t help but compare it to how difficult being with Luke has been the past few days. She feels like she can never get a good read on him. Nick is like an open book.

At the start of music class, Julie waits outside in the hallways for the boys. Despite their objections of coming back to school (from Alex and Luke, at least), they all seem pretty excited for music class.

Mrs. Harrison has them introduce themselves in front of the class. Julie is expecting for Carrie to try and claim ownership or popularity like she did at the game on Friday night, but instead she has a strange look in her eyes, which are narrowed slightly as she observes them. The boys also keep glancing over at her, no doubt searching for similarities to their old bandmate.

Julie doesn’t realize her mess up until the next class period, her history class with Nick, when Luke walks in the door. He had gotten waylaid by a group of fangirls after music class, but the teacher must assume it’s because he doesn’t know his way around yet because she simply assigns him an empty seat. Which happens, of course, to be right behind Julie.

“Hey!” he says as he slides into it. “I didn’t know we were gonna have class together outside of music.”

“Neither did I.” She purses her lips and ignores the feeling of Nick’s eyes on her. This is going to be an incredibly awkward class.

The teacher gives them half the class period to work on a worksheet, which of course just devolves into groups of students talking. A semi-popular girl wearing bright pink eyeliner and a mini-skirt sidles right up to Luke.

“Do you mind if I get a selfie with you?” she asks. “You’re kind of famous, you know.”

“Really?” Luke glances at Julie, who has turned around to watch.

“Sure,” the girl says. She pulls out her phone and shows them a Youtube video. Julie realizes it’s the video her dad made of their band performance at the homecoming dance. “It’s got half a million views and tens of thousands of shares and more every minute.” The girl glances at Julie. “Congrats to you, too, I guess.”

Julie can’t even be bothered by her slightly insulting tone. “Half a million views? Over the weekend? That’s crazy!”

Luke obviously has no idea what that means exactly, but he knows it’s a good thing. He smiles widely. “Awesome!”

The girl leans over his shoulder and snaps a selfie. She’s already posting it to her Instagram and Snapchat even as she walks away. A few other students are in line behind her. Julie is more than a little offended that no one wants a picture with her, but she tries to ignore it and turns back to work on her homework.

“Are you okay, Julie?” Nick asks quietly. His blue eyes are full of concern.

“Yeah. I’m fine. Just trying to do my homework.”

Nick reaches into his pocket for his phone. Julie isn’t sure what he’s going to do with it until he hands it to her.

“Just because most of the students in our school don’t appreciate you doesn’t mean that no one does.”

His phone is open to the comment section on the Youtube video. She scrolls through, reading dozens of compliments directed at her. The boys have a lot, yeah, but so does she. Complete strangers, writing how incredibly talented and beautiful she is. Julie’s eyes water.

She hands his phone back to him. “Thank you. I needed that.”

“Don’t let dumb people determine your worth.” Nick smiles and takes his phone back. “Now, do you have the answer to number three? I can’t find it…”

-

“Alright.” Luke walks into the garage, his songbook in his hands. Julie is sitting at her keyboard and Alex and Reggie are at their own instruments. They’d been practicing the song Julie’s mother had written for her, since it’s just piano, drums, and bass. “I finally went through all Bobby’s songs to see exactly what he stole from us.” Luke hands his notebook over to her. “All the dog-eared pages are ones he didn’t take and that I think fit your range well.”

Julie begins flipping through the notebook. She can’t help but notice how many songs Trevor Wilson stole. Even though it’s not marked, she lands on the Unsaid Emily song. She remembers her conversation with Flynn and pretends like she’s never seen it before.

“Ooh, what’s this, Luke? Who’s Emily?” She raises an eyebrow. 

Luke lunges forward. “That one’s not dog-eared!”

She pulls the book back, out of his reach. “Trevor Wilson never sang it, though.” She glances at the lyrics. “Wow, I didn’t know you could be such a romantic.”

“That’s not actually - “ Alex starts, but Luke interrupts him.

“It’s nothing,” he insists. He reaches out and snatches the songbook out of her hands. “It’s just something I tried and it didn’t - ” He cuts off abruptly and flips to a different page. “Here. Try this one.”

The song title is “Finally Free.” Luke’s handwriting, typically atrocious, is nearly illegible. She can only read about half the words.

“Alright,” she says, setting it up on her keyboard. “Let’s try it.”

She follows the chord pattern he has written out for a brief intro before jumping into the first verse.

_Hearts on fire  
We’re no liars, so we say what we’re gonna say  
I’m awakened, no more faking,  
So we brush all our tears away -_

“Wait, stop.” Luke frowns at her. “Those aren’t the words.”

“They didn’t sound right to me, either.” Julie grabs a pencil and writes over them. “Sorry, I have dyslexia and also I just can’t read your handwriting.”

“It’s not that bad,” Luke protests.

“Actually…” Reggie grimaces. “It’s exactly that bad.”

“Whatever. Let’s start from the top.”

It takes them eight tries to get through it without messing up the lyrics. At first Julie is honestly having trouble reading them, but then Alex and Reggie get on board and start fumbling them up on purpose. Luke doesn’t fully pick up on it until Reggie sings _“We know we can’t fake it/ we’re not calling town thunder/ closet eyes tee my crest/ beading lite plunder.”_

“Okay, that’s not even close!” he explodes. Reggie tries to hold a straight face but he fails and bursts out laughing. Alex and Julie can’t hold it in either and soon the three of them are doubled over, tears streaming down their faces. Luke sets his guitar on his stand and crosses his arms, not looking amused in the least.

Carlos happens to wander in then. He takes one look, shakes his head, and walks promptly back out. Reggie, Alex, and Julie laugh all the harder then.

“Keep laughing now, but when you guys never learn the lyrics properly and sing like that at a performance, I’ll be the one with the last laugh.”

“Not if we credit you with the songwriting,” Alex points out.

Julie manages to mostly sober up from her laughing. “Okay, okay, we’ll do it right this time.” She covers her mouth with her hand as a few last giggles try to come out.

They play through it again, this time singing the right words. Alex and Reggie still crack up randomly in the middle of the song and it’s all Julie can do to not laugh as well when she sees them lose it. Luke doesn’t look as excited as he usually does.

Julie gets a text a few minutes later from Carlos, letting her know that it’s dinnertime. She and the boys pack up shop and head inside. Luke is uncharacteristically quiet and Julie wonders if they maybe went too far or if something else is bothering him. She remembers how protective he was over the Emily song and realizes that her taunting him about it probably brought up painful memories for him.

She feels bad for making a big deal out of it, but she also can’t help but feel hurt that he doesn’t trust her enough to talk about it. He feels comfortable enough flirting with her apparently, and they literally saved each other’s lives in Jumanji - which feels sort of like a strange fever dream now, not like something that ended less than a week ago - but he can’t tell her about this girl from his past?

Julie feels her own mood dampen at that. Her dad asks the boys about school and Reggie enthusiastically goes on about his science classes. She can’t tell if he’s just that excited or if he’s covering up for her and Luke’s moodiness.

“So, I don’t know if you heard, but the video I posted of you guys kind of went viral,” her dad says. “So I was thinking, maybe we could set up a little backyard performance and put together another video for your Youtube. You could invite your friends and we could have a little party.”

“That sounds great, Dad.” She smiles at him. “Maybe on Friday afternoon? I’m sure we can learn some new songs by then. I’ll text Flynn and see if she can get the word out.”

After dinner, she and Reggie hang out in the kitchen, working on homework together. Carlos ropes Alex into playing some video games with him (very reluctantly, if the terrified looks Alex shoots them as he’s dragged away are any indication) and Luke disappears outside. She assumes he’s just going out to the studio until she goes outside and he’s not there.

She stays up until midnight waiting for him to return, but he doesn’t come back. As much as she’s worried about him and curious as to where he went, she trusts him to take care of himself. She leaves the porch light on and the door unlocked.

Before she goes to sleep, she checks on the Youtube video. It’s gotten another two hundred thousand views since this afternoon. At this rate, they’ll be up to a million by Wednesday at the latest. The Youtube channel itself has fifteen thousand subscribers already.

Julie can’t fully comprehend those kind of numbers. She can’t believe how much her life has changed in such a short time. She wonders if they’ll continue to grow or if they’ll just be a one hit wonder.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All rights belong to the creators and writers of Julie and the Phantoms (2020). I take no credit, and I do not mean to break any copyright rules. This is simply a work of fiction made for enjoyment. No money is being made.
> 
> Rating: K+

**Chapter 22**

“Are you excited for this afternoon?”

Julie and Flynn walk through the halls together. Julie could barely sleep last night. Their “Edge of Great” video has close to two million views now, and they have so many people interested in attending their backyard concert that they’ve had to sell tickets. In a twitter poll Flynn created, over two hundred people were interested in coming. By releasing a ticket sale for $5 a ticket, they’re able to contain it to fifty people as well as earning some extra cash to go towards the boys’ cell phone fund.

The three of them are currently sharing Julie’s mom’s old phone, and it definitely makes for some interesting text conversations. Unless they remember to sign off their names - which they never do - Julie has only a vague idea of who she’s talking to. Alex is the easiest to identify, as he uses mostly proper grammar and doesn’t use text abbreviations. Luke and Reggie, on the other hand, type like it’s the early 2000s and use an overabundance of emojis, most of which make absolutely no sense in context.

“Yeah, I am. We’re debuting a new song. It’s going to be awesome.”

“I made sure that Nick got a ticket.” Flynn winks at her. “You guys have seemed pretty close to each other this past week.”

“We just have dance and history class together.”

“And you’ve barely looked at Luke this week. Did something happen between you guys?”

_That’s what I want to know,_ Julie thinks. Over homecoming weekend, she couldn’t get away from Luke. Since Monday, she can barely seem to interact with him - and that’s saying something, since they literally live in the same house.

“I don’t know. He’s been really distant this week. And not just from me.” She sighs. “Well, I did kind of bring up the Emily song I told you about. That’s when this all started.”

“So he’s definitely not over her.” Flynn pats her shoulder. “I’m sorry, Julie. At least you still have Nick.”

Julie gives her a look. “He’s not a consolation prize. He’s a real person. He deserves better than being my second choice.”

“I’m just saying you have options. That’s more than I’ve got right now.”

The first few classes pass by quickly. Reggie has quickly become a teacher’s pet, at least in her calculus class, which she finds both amusing and irritating. How have all the boys become way more popular than her in one week with both the students and the teachers? Apparently in the English class they’re all in together, the boys are also impressing the teacher with their hot takes on the readings.

In music class, Julie is surprised to see that Luke isn’t there. When she searches out Reggie and Alex, they tell her that they have no idea where he is. Flynn catches on to their tense exchange.

“Wait. So Luke disappeared and no one knows where he is?” she asks. 

“Apparently.” 

“Well, you guys better find him. You have a performance after school!”

“I know.” Julie can’t keep the edge of irritation out of her voice.

She hopes he’ll show up for her history class, but he’s absent there as well. And he’s not on their bus home. And he’s also not at home.

Alex and Reggie search the house and the studio with her, but there’s no sign of him. Alex has the group cell phone, so there’s no way of contacting him, either.

“He’ll be here,” Reggie assures her. “Let’s just get set up.”

“What could he possibly be doing?”

Alex and Reggie exchange a glance, but they don’t say anything. Julie tries to shove her anger to the back of her mind as she starts setting up with them.

The guests begin arriving and Luke still isn’t here. Julie grabs Alex and Reggie and they have a partial band meeting in the garage.

“He’s not coming,” she states. “I don’t know what’s going on with him, but he’s obviously not coming. We have an audience here, and we’re not going to disappoint them.”

“What song are we playing, then?” Alex asks. 

Julie pulls out the song her mother had written for her. “We’ve practiced this one a couple of times. There’s no electric guitar, and I sing all the vocals. No one will notice Luke’s even missing.”

“Except all his fangirls,” Reggie says.

“Then maybe he should actually show up to our performances,” Julie snaps. She regrets it instantly and takes a deep breath. “Sorry, Reggie. I didn’t mean to yell at you.”

“I know. You’re worried about Luke. We are, too.”

Julie still has the feeling they know something she doesn’t. Whatever it is, she’ll grill it out of them later. For now, she has to focus on her performance. People from her school paid to be here. She refuses to be embarrassed in front of all of them.

She forces a smile on her face. “Alright. Let’s kill this.”

Her dad has his best camera set up on a tripod. He waves at her and gives her a thumbs up. Julie smiles and turns her mic on.

“Welcome, everybody! Today we’re going to play a song for you that means a lot to me. A lot of you know that my mother died earlier this year. It’s been tough, but I had the support of many friends and family members who helped me get through it. The song we’re about to play is a song my mother wrote for me. She believed in me even when I didn’t believe in myself, and I’d like to dedicate this to her.”

The small crowd applauds. Julie catches sight of Nick in the back. He waves and smiles.

Julie sits down at her piano. Her fingers brush over the keys. She never intended to play this song publicly. It feels private. But she also has a chance to make her mother known in a way she wasn’t in life. Playing music she wrote for others will bring out her spirit and spread it.

_Here’s one thing I want you to know  
You got some place to go  
Life’s a test, yes, but you go toe-to-toe  
You don’t give up, no, you grow_

_And you use your pain  
‘Cause it makes you you  
Though I wish I could hold you through it  
I know it’s not the same  
You got living to do  
And I just want you to do it_

_So get up, get out, relight that spark  
You know the rest by heart_

Alex and Reggie jump in as she hits the chorus and she can almost pretend that no one is missing.

_Wake up, wake up, if it’s all you do  
Look out, look inside of you  
It’s not what you lost  
It’s what you’ll gain raising your voice to the rain  
Wake up your dream and make it true  
Look out, look inside of you  
It’s not what you lost  
Relight that spark, it’s time to come out of the dark  
Wake up_

Someone in the crowd starts a trend of pulling out their phone and setting the flashlight on and waving it back and forth. When Julie looks up briefly between the chorus and the second verse, the sight of the waving lights fills her heart with happiness.

She plunges into the second verse.

_Better wake those demons  
Just look them in the eye  
No reason not to try  
Life can be a mess  
I won’t let it cloud my eyes  
I’ll let my fingers fly_

_And I use the pain ‘cause it’s part of me  
And I’m ready to power through it  
Gonna find the strength, find the melody,  
‘Cause you showed me how to do it_

_Get up, get out, relight that spark  
You know the rest by heart_

The crowd jumps into action as she hits the chorus again. Her fingers fly on the keys, jumping an octave and brightening up the song. She stands, swaying from side to side as she plays and sings. By the time she hits the bridge, she feels her heart explode outward.

_So wake that spirit, spirit  
I want to hear it, hear it  
No need to fear it, you’re not alone  
You’re gonna find your way, oh_

Julie can feel tears slip out of her eyes as she sings the last chorus. She raises her head to the sky, hoping her mother can hear her from above.

When the last note fades away, the small crowd goes wild. Julie wipes at her face with her sleeve and manages a smile. Both Reggie and Alex come over and wrap her in a tight hug. When they step away, Flynn is next in line.

It’s an hour before the last of the guests leave. Everyone wants to stay and talk with them. For the first time since their band became popular, she’s the center of attention. Everyone is gushing about how amazing her piano skills are, how beautiful her voice is, and how emotional and powerful the performance was. Alex and Reggie get their share of attention, but everyone drifts over to Julie first.

After even Flynn and Nick are gone, Julie, Reggie, and Alex start pushing all their instruments and equipment back into the garage. Because they’re only moving things a few feet it isn’t too hard, but they’re all still breathing a little heavily. Pianos and drum sets aren’t in the least light.

Julie’s dad and Carlos surround her and give her a big hug as well. Her dad has tears in his eyes.

“It really felt like your mother was back for a few minutes,” he says.

“I felt her, too.” Julie smiles at them and pulls them in for another hug.

“I love how you paired down the song to be a focus on piano,” her dad says, “but where is Luke? I haven’t seen him around today.”

“Oh, he stayed after school to work on some things,” she lies. “I’m not sure when he’ll be home.”

“Okay. Well, Tía dropped off one of her dishes so you know dinner is going to be good tonight.” He drops a kiss on her forehead before he and Carlos head back into the house.

Julie and the boys stay out in the garage, finishing their task of moving everything. They’ve just sat down on the couch when a lone figure walks up the driveway.

Julie jumps to her feet, her anger filling her with energy and tainting her vision with red. She’s angry partly because she was worried about him, disappearing without a word like he did, and also because he stood her up. And not just her, the entire band. Julie doesn’t know what they would have done if they hadn’t had a song ready they could play without him.

“And where have you been?” she demands.

He lifts one of his shoulders and drops it. “Around.”

“Not around here. Or at school.” Julie crosses her arms. “I’m going to need a better explanation.”

“I’m sorry.” His voice sounds coarse. “I know I let you down. And I’m really sorry.”

“Really? You’re so sorry that you can’t give me an explanation for where you were? And you’re so sorry that you can’t even show up to one small gig at our own house?” Her voice begins to rise. “I sacrificed a lot of time and energy and sleep to rescue you from that stupid video game and you can’t even show up to a stupid little performance for me!”

“Julie, I’m - ”

“No. Save it. You know, I thought the music we were writing together was special. But you’re too obsessed with your past to even care.”

He opens his mouth and then closes it again without saying anything. Julie had really hoped that he might finally confide in her, but he feels farther than ever right now.

“I do care,” he finally says. She waits a beat, but he doesn’t add anything else.

“Uh huh. So why can’t you tell me anything? Why am I not a priority? Why are you keeping secrets from me? You didn’t tell any of us where you were going or when you’d come back. You just disappeared. If something happened to you, none of us would know where to even start looking. There’s only one thing you care about, and that’s yourself.”

Her hands ball up into fists at her sides and she storms past him, disappearing into the house. She runs up the stairs and shuts herself in her room. She can’t let the boys - especially Luke - know how upset it really made her.

Sure, she pulled off the performance even without Luke. But that doesn’t change the fact that he wasn’t there, that he bailed without warning. What could possibly be so important that he would just leave?

Julie has one theory, and it centers around a certain forbidden song in his notebook.

-

It’s an hour before she hears a knock on her door. Although she doesn’t want to talk to anyone, she knows they won’t leave her alone.

“Come in.”

She hears two pairs of footsteps. She doesn’t look up from her history textbook.

“You, uh, got a second?” she hears Alex ask.

“Sure.” She still doesn’t lift her eyes, but she isn’t paying attention to her reading, either.

Alex walks over and sits on the edge of her bed. “Julie, please.”

She finally looks up, the softness in his voice catching her off guard. She sees that the second set of footsteps belong to Reggie, who stands over Alex’s shoulder. If they’re about to try and talk to her on Luke’s behalf, she might throw something.

“If Luke wants to apologize, he better say it himself and make it really convincing. And even then I’ll only consider it.”

“Luke disappeared again,” Alex says. Julie’s surprised to see worry in his blue eyes. “We want you to know that Luke isn’t as selfish as you think he is.”

“Yeah, you have him all wrong,” Reggie adds.

The fact that they’re both completely serious is a major indicator to Julie. She sets her textbook aside.

“Remember that song, ‘Unsaid Emily?’” Alex asks. Julie’s breath catches in her throat. “Can we at least show you who that’s actually about?”

It’s a morbid curiosity that drags Julie down the stairs after them. They pull out bikes from the garage and Julie follows Alex and Reggie down streets she’s never been but they’re obviously familiar with. She hopes that wherever they’re going isn’t too far because the sun is going to set soon.

They end up at a one-level brick home. Reggie and Alex dump their bikes off to the side and sneak around the back.

“Don’t worry,” Alex says when she looks back in worry. “We’ll only be a few minutes.”

They walk around a few thin trees. At the back of the house, there’s a large screen door looking into the kitchen/dining room and a window at the far end. Julie sees Luke looking in the window. She and the boys hide behind a set of potted trees at the edge of the patio.

Julie doesn’t understand what she’s seeing at first. A woman and a man with gray hair are moving around slowly inside. Luke turns his face to watch them, and Julie sees that his eyes are bloodshot and rimmed with red. Her chest constricts at the sight.

“This is his parents’ house,” Reggie says quietly. “Emily is his mom.”

Julie suddenly feels terrible. She had just assumed it was an ex-girlfriend this entire time. Now she understands why Luke was so protective of the song and also why he’s been withdrawn the last week. He moved in with her family, all the while knowing that his own parents are still out here but he can’t reveal himself to them. 

“Yeah.” Alex sighs. “Luke came here a lot when we were stuck in the garage. Sometimes he sneaks out at night. He doesn’t know we followed him.”

“All he does is hang out and watch them.” Reggie’s voice is sadder than Julie has ever heard it. “They never really do anything, though. He was their only child.”

Julie watches as Luke’s mom - Emily - brings out a silver platter with something on it. She can’t quite make out what it is.

As if reading her mind, Alex says, “It’s a cake.”

“It’s a - a birthday cake.” Reggie’s voice is choked with tears. “For Luke.”

Julie’s jaw drops. Her eyes start to sting. She can’t drag her eyes away from his parents as they sit down around the table. When she finally does, they stray to Luke, who has tears brimming in his eyes.

“I never knew he was hurting this much,” she says.

“Yeah. It’s even worse because he left on bad terms. His parents didn’t want their seventeen year old in a rock band, so…” Alex trails off. “He just left. He never got the chance to make up with them.”

“He used to sneak back and keep an eye on them from a distance,” Reggie adds. “But he never spoke with them. They never knew he came back.”

Julie watches as Luke’s dad lights the candle on the cake. By the window, Luke raises his hand and sets it against the window. Tears stream down his face and drip off his chin.

“That’s why Luke was so angry with Bobby. If he had given Luke credit for his songs, then his parents would have known his dream was worth chasing. He wouldn’t have disappeared and been forgotten.”

“They would have been so proud.” Julie’s eyes well up and her vision blurs. When she blinks, her own tears fall. She doesn’t bother wiping them away.

They only stay for a few minutes after that. Alex is the first to break away. As they walk back down to the bikes, Julie drifts over to Reggie and wraps her arm around him. He’s crying almost as hard as she is.

-

Luke doesn’t make it home for dinner. Julie and the boys cover for him. Afterwards, Julie sets up her laptop on the kitchen table and works on her homework. It’s almost midnight when Luke finally returns. By then, everyone in the house is either asleep or retired to their own rooms.

Luke’s eyes are still rimmed with red. He looks surprised to see her.

“I thought you would be asleep,” he says.

“I wanted to be sure you got home safe.” 

He stands in front of her for a moment, looking unsure of what to say or do. He ends up shoving his hands into his pockets.

“Look, I’m really sorry for standing you up today. And I’m sorry I haven’t been able to tell you everything. It’s not because I don’t trust you or because I don’t care.”

“It’s okay. I understand. I didn’t tell you guys about my mom’s death for weeks and it happened a year ago. It isn’t fair of me to expect you guys to come to terms with everything you’ve lost in a week.”

His eyes are intense as they bore into hers. “I promise I won’t let you down again, Julie.”

“I know. I believe you.” She nods at the chair next to her. “Take a seat.”

He does. She closes her laptop and reaches out to the middle of the table, where a covered dish sets. She pulls off the lid to reveal a small chocolate cake with a single candle in the middle. She reaches over and lights the candle. Luke looks at her in shock.

“By the way, happy birthday.” She pushes it towards him, along with a dessert plate and a knife. “I can’t believe you weren’t going to say anything.”

Luke watches the candle flicker for a few seconds before leaning forward and blowing it out. Then he cuts the cake in quarters, sliding one piece on the plate for her and one for himself.

They eat a few bites in silence. Julie reaches into the pocket of her jacket and pulls out a small wrapped gift. “Here, I got you something.”

“You shouldn’t have,” he says, but there’s a small smile on his face. He slowly unwraps it to reveal a small, sleek device with a pair of headphones wrapped around it.

“It’s an iPod,” Julie explains as he turns it over. “Kind of like a walkman, except the music on it is digital. I loaded a few of the most iconic rock albums that you missed out on it, as well as a playlist of individual songs that I thought you might like.”

Luke’s jaw drops and he turns his head slowly up to, his eyes searching out hers. “I can’t accept this,” he says. “This must be so expensive.”

Julie laughs quietly. “I got it like ten years ago and it’s been sitting in my desk drawer for five years collecting dust. It’s really nothing.”

He sets it down on the table and stands up. He walks over to her, and she finds herself rising as well. Her heart pounds in her chest as he gets closer.

He throws his arms around her and hugs her tightly. One of his arms holds her back and his other hand is over her hair, his fingers balling up in her curls. He buries his face in her neck and she holds him tightly, knowing it’s exactly what he needs right now.

She’s not sure how long they hold each other for. When Luke pulls away, there are tears in his eyes again. Julie reaches up and sets a hand against the side of his face, rubbing her thumb across his cheek.

“You better take the rest of that cake down to Alex and Reggie before they feel left out,” she says with a smile.

He returns her smile before taking the cake dish and heading downstairs.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All rights belong to the creators and writers of Julie and the Phantoms (2020). I take no credit, and I do not mean to break any copyright rules. This is simply a work of fiction made for enjoyment. No money is being made.
> 
> Rating: K+

**Chapter 23**

“I got your text last night,” Flynn says over the phone. “What’s going on?”

Julie can’t keep the smile off her face. She’s been unable to stop smiling since last night.

“So remember on Friday how Luke never showed up to the performance?”

“Yeah. You were pretty mad. And I don’t blame you.”

“Well, we had a fight, and the boys took me to Emily’s house.”

“Emily? Like the girl Luke wrote that love song about?”

“Yeah. Turns out, it’s not some ex-girlfriend of his. It’s his mother.”

“Whaaat?”

“That’s how I felt, too. Luke was gone on Friday because he went to see his parents. He couldn’t actually talk to them, since...well, you know, but he was just standing outside their window and watching them. And he was crying, too - it was the saddest thing I’ve ever seen.”

“That’s so sad!” Over the line, Julie can hear Flynn sniffle. “Just imagine seeing your parents but not being able to talk to them.”

“I know. I can’t even imagine what he’s going through. It’s even worse, ‘cause apparently he left on bad terms. And if that’s not bad enough, yesterday was his birthday. They were celebrating it without him.”

“Dang, Julie! You should have warned me this conversation was gonna be heartbreaking. I’m having a good eyeliner day.”

“Yeah, well, I felt like a total jerk because I just assumed it was some ex-girlfriend he was pining over and I kind of rubbed it in his face. So I made him a birthday cake and got him a little present.”

“Did anything happen?”

“I mean, he hugged me, but that was all.”

“Julie!” She has to hold her phone away from her ear as Flynn squeals. “That’s a big deal!”

“I guess, but I still feel like he’s really sad. I want to do more for him. He’s still really torn up about this whole thing with his parents.”

“Maybe you can write him a song,” Flynn suggests. “Like that song your mom wrote for you.”

“Flynn, you’re a genius!”

“I know.”

“Okay, I’m going to get started right now.”

“Call me with any updates! No, seriously, please, my life is incredibly boring.”

“Okay, I promise.”

Julie hangs up and drops her phone back onto her bed. She grabs a notebook, flips to an empty page, and starts writing down ideas for a song.

Two hours later, her bedroom floor is covered in called up pieces of paper and the page in front of her is blank. Writing a song for Luke is a lot harder than she thought it would be. There’s so much she wants to say to him and she doesn’t know how to put it in words that aren’t over the top gushy or too weak.

She takes a break and heads down to the kitchen to make a PB&J. Carlos and her dad are at a soccer game and apparently the boys had tagged along. She thinks she’s alone in the house when she hears footsteps coming up the basement stairs.

“Oh. Luke.” She tries not to stare at him as he wanders in the kitchen. “Good morning.”

“Mornin’.” His hair is messy and his eyes are blearly, as if he’s just woken up. Considering how late he’d gotten home last night, she’s not entirely surprised. “Where is everyone?”

“Reggie and Alex went with my dad and Carlos to his soccer game. I thought you went with them.”

He shakes his head. “I just got up.”

She slides over the bread, PB, and jam to him. “You’re probably hungry, then.”

“So, what do you normally do on Saturdays?” Luke asks as he wrestles open the peanut butter jar. “The boys and I used to either perform, go to concerts, or practice all day.”

“Carlos usually has soccer games in the morning and early afternoon and then we normally just hang out around the house. Sometimes I go over to Flynn’s, but I’m still grounded right now. I like to catch up on TV.”

“That sounds...nice. Quiet.”

“It is,” Julie agrees. “We can watch some TV, if you want. I don’t really have any homework.”

They take their plates downstairs. As Julie searches for something to watch, Luke says, “I have to confess, I was up all night.”

Her heart nearly freezes in her chest. “Yeah?”

“I was browsing through the music you uploaded on the...iPod? Yeah. Anyway, I got so excited to see all the new Green Day albums. They were one of my favorite bands back in the nineties. I listened through them all.”

And Julie can breathe again. She doesn’t know exactly what she was expecting him to say or even what she wanted him to say. She’s both pleased and disappointed.

“I haven’t listened to a lot of their old music,” she admits, “but I really like the albums American Idiot and Revolution Radio.”

“I’m itching to learn the riffs to ‘21 Guns’ and ‘Holiday’ on my guitar.” Luke lifts his hands and plays an invisible guitar. Julie smiles at it. He bangs his head along as if he’s listening to the music right now.

“Okay, Billie.” She rolls her eyes. “Oh, how do you feel about Joss Whedon?”

Luke shakes his head. “I’ve never heard of him.”

“He’s a writer and director who either produces great stuff or terrible stuff. There’s literally no in-between.” She clicks on a show. “Here, this is a good, classic 90s show. It came out a couple years after you disappeared. One of Joss Whedon’s better works. Though I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before Carlos forces you to watch The Avengers.”

Luke squints at the screen. “ _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_. Hey, I’ve heard about this. It’s a movie they made a couple years before I disappeared.”

“And then they remade it into a show that’s actually pretty good.” Julie leans back against the couch. “Though I think it’s partially responsible for spawning the whole vampire and werewolf pop culture movement, which has had its ups and downs. If someone mentions Twilight, don’t bother asking.”

Luke smiles a little. “Okay.”

Julie starts the show from the first episode. When the intro music plays, she glances over to see Luke banging his head to it and she laughs.

“What? This is awesome!”

“I figured you’d like it.”

Luke seems interested enough in the show that Julie lets the autoplay run on. Between staying up late waiting for him and then not being able to sleep because her brain wouldn’t shut off after their moment, she’s pretty tired. 

Her eyes drift closed. She doesn’t realize how close she’s sitting to him until her head drops onto his shoulder. She’s suddenly very awake again, but all Luke does is lift his arm up to allow her to get closer. Her heart racing, she scooches closer and pulls her legs up onto the couch. He drops his arm loosely around her shoulders.

After Julie stops lowkey freaking out about it, exhaustion washes over her again. She lets her eyes close.

The sound of footsteps coming down the stairs wakes her up. She lifts her head and glances at the TV. Angel is on the screen now, which means she’s been sleeping for at least a couple episodes. She tries to sit up, but Luke’s arm is still around her and he’s also fast asleep. She watches his face for a moment, appreciating how cute and peaceful he looks when he’e asleep. Then she remembers they’re not at home alone anymore and she pushes his arm off her.

Alex and Reggie emerge at the bottom of the stairs. Julie can see from their smirks that she didn’t move fast enough.

“Hey, guys.” She does her best to pretend that nothing is out of the ordinary. “How was the game?”

“It was pretty good. Your brother is a little vicious, though.” Reggie glances over at Alex. “And someone picked up an admirer.”

Julie raises an eyebrow. “Oh, really? Do tell.”

Alex’s cheeks turn red and he stares at his shoes. Reggie grins. “A guy from our P.E. class at school also has a little brother on Carlos’ team. I’ve seen him watching Alex in class, but he actually came over to talk to us today.”

“Is he cute?”

“Yeah! I mean, I think so.”

Alex raises his head and runs his fingers through his hair. He avoids looking directly into their eyes. “Yeah, he’s really nice.”

Julie knows a rejection when she hears one. “But…?”

He shrugs. “I don’t know. I haven’t really stopped thinking about Willie. He’s still stuck in that game and we just...left him there.”

Julie stands and walks over to him. “There was nothing we could do, Alex. He made a deal with Caleb and he broke it.”

“Yeah, he broke it for us.”

“So we could escape and get our lives back. He’s already missed so much of his life.” Julie reaches out for him. “I’m sad that he wasn’t able to come with us as well, but Caleb was too powerful. We’re lucky to have gotten out with our own lives.”

Alex scuffs his shoe on the floor. “Yeah. Doesn’t mean it doesn’t suck, though.”

Julie frowns. She had no idea Alex was suffering, too. Now she has two sad teenage boys on her hands. 

She looks over at Reggie. “Anything going on with you?”

He shakes his head. “No. I’m actually pretty happy. Well...other than finding out that my parents’ house is now a bike shop and I have no idea where they are now, if they’re even still together.”

Julie nods. “Good to know. Is there anything I can do?” She looks over at Alex. “For you, too?”

Alex shakes his head. “Unless you can get Willie out of the game.”

“Your family has already been better than mine ever was,” Reggie says. “Convincing your dad to let us stay here was enough.”

Julie wishes she could do more for Alex, but unfortunately there’s not much she can do for him. She’s not touching that cursed game ever again. At least Reggie is happy. All she has to do is find a way to resolve Luke’s conflict.

She glances back to see that he’s still fast asleep on the couch. 

“Oh, your dad mentioned something about your aunt coming over for dinner,” Reggie says. “The way he said it kind of scared me.”

Julie sighs. She’d called her aunt and explained the situation earlier in the week but Tía was too busy to come over. She knows her aunt’s going to scrutinize the boys.

“Alright. Just be on your best behavior. Tía’s great, as long as you don’t end up on her bad side.”

She heads up the stairs, waves to her dad as she passes through the main floor, and then heads up the second set of stairs to her room. She notices that her bedroom door is cracked. She closed it earlier, didn’t she?

She pushes it open all the way. Carlos is sitting on the floor, still wearing his soccer uniform, holding a wrinkled piece of paper in his hand. It takes Julie a minute to remember what it is. Horror fills her.

She lunges forward and snatches it out of his hand. “What are you doing in my room?” she nearly screeches. “Get out!”

Carlos just grins up at her. “This is some really good stuff, sis.”

Julie reaches down and begins collecting all the balls of paper. There’s a small pile by Carlos that is already smoothed out.

“Out. Now.” She points to the door. Carlos smirks at her as he stands and walks out.

“Should I tell Luke now or wait until dinner?” he asks. Julie slams her door shut in his face and leans against it heavily.

The last thing she needs on the evening Tía is coming over for dinner is for Carlos to find out about her crush on Luke. She’d like to think the best of her brother, that he wouldn’t throw her under the bus like that, but it’s something he would definitely do. She can’t get in trouble for it, only embarrassed, so it’s right up his alley.

Julie sighs. She finishes picking up the discarded pieces of paper and hides them under her mattress. Writing a song for Luke seemed like a good idea this morning, but the more she thinks about it the more she realizes that it won’t do anything more than temporarily cheer him up. If she really wants to help him, she needs to get to the root of his problem: his unfinished business with his parents.

And after she’s figured out how to help Luke, she needs to work on Alex. Alex’s problems are a lot more difficult. Julie can’t bring Willie back, she can’t talk to him without going back into the game - which she is going to do under no circumstances - and even if she did go back, there’s no guarantee she could find Willie. No doubt Caleb punished him severely for breaking his deal. Willie might not even be alive anymore.

The thought makes Julie sad, and not just for Alex’s sake. She remembers Willie’s cabin at the base of the mountain, which he had turned into a warm and welcoming home. Despite living alone in the game for years, Willie was still kind and caring. He really didn’t deserve the lot he ended up with.

Julie hears Tía’s voice and she shoves those thoughts out of her mind. Tonight is going to be an experience, that’s for sure. Even without Carlos taunting her.

Julie heads down the stairs and greets Tía with a big hug. “I’m so glad you could make it for dinner!”

“I wouldn’t miss it, _mija_! Besides, I’m eager to meet these exchange students of yours.”

Carlos joins them. He’s freshly showered and changed out of his soccer clothes. He talks with Tía about the game as Alex, Reggie, and Luke slowly make their way up the stairs. Luke is wearing his orange beanie, probably to hide his messy hair. When he catches Julie’s eyes, he sends her a heart-stopping smile.

“Tía, meet Alex, Reggie, and Luke. Boys, meet my aunt.”

Tía observes them carefully before leaning down and whispering in Julie’s ear, “You didn’t say they were all so cute!”

Julie forces out a polite smile. “I hadn’t even noticed,” she says.

Tía gives her a look. “Don’t lie to me, _mija_. I was a teenage girl once.”

Julie’s dad brings out steaming dishes of food and sets it on the hot pads on the table. “Alright, everyone. Let’s get started before the food gets cold.”

Her dad sits at one end of the table, Tía on the other. Julie and Carlos sit on the left side and the boys sit on the right. Julie happens to be right across from Luke, which makes it very difficult to not be constantly looking over at him.

“So you are all musicians?” Tía asks. “I saw that Youtube video of you guys at the school dance. It was very good.”

“Thank you,” Alex replies.

“I really like it when Julie and Luke sing duets,” Carlos says, his face perfectly innocent. “The way they stare into each other’s eyes really sells the magic of the performance.”

Julie has a tight-lipped smile on her face while she stomps on his foot under the table. She absolutely avoids looking at Luke. “There’s nothing I love more than making music together with my _friends_.”

“Julie told me you guys met online, through a video game. But you’re in a band together.”

“We were a band together in Sweden,” Reggie explains. “Then when Julie invited us here, we restructured our band with her as the lead singer.”

Julie is at least relieved that the boys have gotten their background story straight. There were some close calls the first week they were here. If there’s one person they can’t afford to mess up in front of, it’s Tía.

“You know, you guys speak really good English,” Tía says. “You don’t even have accents.”

“Almost everyone in Sweden can speak fluent English,” Alex explains. “We went to an English book club. It really helped with our pronunciation.”

“Maybe we should send Julie over to Sweden. It sounds like their school system is way better than ours. Julie’s grown up speaking Spanish and she still isn’t the best.”

“Whatever.” Julie rolls her eyes. “Carlos can barely speak Spanish.”

“So what grade are you in? Will you be staying another year in high school or moving back to Sweden?”

“Actually, L.A. is a huge hot spot for musicians. We want to stay here to have the best chance at making it big,” Luke says. He glances over at Julie. “And of course, with her in the band, we aren’t about to leave.”

“So you guys are serious about this music thing.” Tía’s eyes glance around them. “My sister was in a few bands when she was your guys’ age. They never stayed together for more than a few months or years.”

Julie feels Luke’s eyes on her, though she pointedly looks down at her plate. “I think we have something special,” he says.

“Their first Youtube video has almost three million views now,” Julie’s dad says. “And their channel has over thirty thousand subscribers. People really like them.”

“But you’re keeping up with school, right?” Tía asks Julie. “It can be difficult to be successful in school and with a band.”

“Of course, Tía. School is the first priority.” Julie gives her a comforting smile. “But it can take years to get really good gigs. If we start now, imagine where we’ll be by the time I graduate.”

Tía is quiet for a few seconds. When she finally talks, there’s a slight sad undertone to her voice.

“I think your mom would be proud of you,” she says to Julie. Then she looks over at the boys. “Julie told me your family lives weren’t very good. No one deserves that. Music or no music, you’ll find this to be a good home.”

Julie leans over and gives her aunt a hug. She’s sure Tía is going to have her eyes on them for a couple months at least, but she’s relieved that Tía accepted them so quickly. She expected a lot more push-back. 

“I love you, Tía,” she says.

“Mhmm. _Te quiero también_.” Tía pats her shoulder before turning away from her. “Now, I hope you boys have room for dessert because I made my special _dulce de leche_.”


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All rights belong to the creators and writers of Julie and the Phantoms (2020). I take no credit, and I do not mean to break any copyright rules. This is simply a work of fiction made for enjoyment. No money is being made.
> 
> Rating: K+

**Chapter 24**

November always brings with it a crisp breeze, like fresh wind blowing through and flooding out the remains of the heavy summer air. This change in the atmosphere is more noticeable in the early morning hours, when the sun is struggling to climb and the skies are a grayish blue color. It’s chilly enough that Luke shrugs on his oversized plaid shirt before heading out.

Everyone else in the Molina house is sleeping in. They’d stayed up late in the night talking to Julie’s aunt. She had a million and one questions and constantly switched back and forth from being suspicious to being a parental figure. He and the others knew she meant well, but unlike with Julie’s dad, they’ll actually have to work to earn her trust. She isn’t going to grant it so unconditionally.

Luke doesn’t bother leaving a note. He suspects that Alex and Reggie know where he’s going. At the very least, they know why he’s been in a mood lately. Who else would have told Julie that it was his birthday?

He pulls out the iPod she’d given him and inserts the small earpods. It was a really thoughtful gift - probably the most personal one he’s ever gotten. Julie has his music taste pegged. There hasn’t been a single song he’s listened to that he hasn’t enjoyed.

He wanders the streets of the neighborhood, no clear goal in mind. A few of Julie’s older neighbors are awake, sitting on their porches and reading the newspaper or watering their flower gardens. They nod or wave in greeting as he passes. Luke can’t help but de-age them all by twenty five years. How old were they when he disappeared? Did he ever meet any of them?

These kinds of thoughts haven’t left his mind since he found out the truth of their homecoming. Julie’s the only person he doesn’t think of critically, and it’s only because he knew her before. All the other students at their school are like children to him, even if physically they’re the same age. Growing up in a different era and coming from completely different cultural and societal backgrounds makes a much bigger difference than he could have ever imagined. He suddenly understands adults so much better.

Luke likes taking quiet moments like this where he just walks around and observes this new world he’s been brought into. It’s been two weeks now and it still feels funny, like a completely different dimension. He sees kinds of cars he’s never seen before. He’ll see toys on a porch from movies he doesn’t recognize. Houses themselves are different, with all sorts of smart appliances. Through living room windows he gets glimpses of large screen TVs with all sorts of gaming consoles hooked up to it. Fashion is also different, a strange mix of styles from the seventies, eighties, and nineties combined with newer trends. 

So much has changed, and yet so much is similar. Luke always imagined there’d be hover cars by now, like in Back to the Future. It is interesting to see what they did get right in those movies - like there being a seventh Star Wars film. 

On the whole, Luke finds the world a lot more depressing than everyone thought the future would be. Neighborhoods like this used to be filled with kids riding their bikes around together, chasing each other across streets and backyards and the allies. They’d play basketball in small groups in their driveways and the sidewalks were colored with chalk. Bands could be heard rehearsing from behind closed garage doors. Now the world is silent, save for the roar of lawn mowers and weed whackers and dogs barking. Gone is the laughter of children. Gone is the hum of conversation from neighbor to neighbor. Gone is the music blasting from a radio sitting on a porch step while the owners dance around their yard.

It’s not just because of how early in the day it is. Luke’s gone on walks after school, during school, in the evening - he’s walked around at almost every time of the day, on almost every day, and it’s almost always this quiet. The future is one of isolation and silence.

It reminds him of the society in _Fahrenheit 451_. That was a book Luke found fascinating in book club. He always liked the books focusing on future dystopias, especially concerning censored media like literature, music, and art. Words have the power to change people, to influence society. Music has the power to excite people. Luke has always been a bit of a rebel, and reading books like that only inspired him to play harder rock, to write more meaningful lyrics, and to be more passionate about his music.

A few albums and a couple hours later, Luke finds himself strolling down his old street. It’s not as nice as it used to be - it’s overgrown with weeds, the grass left to grow tall and thick branches from past storms left to lie on the road and sidewalk. The stop sign has new graffiti on it and the road has potholes that he has to step around. It doesn’t exactly bring back good memories.

Of course, the last memory Luke has on his road is the night he left. He grabbed his guitar, stuffed some clothes in his backpack, and took off on his bike with his mother running out and screaming after him. He hadn’t looked back. Oh, how he wishes he’d looked back.

Luke came back, even before he disappeared into the game, to check up on his parents. He always imagined knocking on the door and asking to talk to them. His mother would hug him and his dad would squeeze his shoulder and he’d come in and explain why he had to leave everything behind to chase his dream of being a musician. He would have given them a proper goodbye, one that wasn’t broken and permanent. They’d invite him and the boys back for Thanksgiving and Christmas and it wouldn’t be the same, but it would be something.

But that never happened. He always lost the courage before his knuckles hit the door. If he saw his parents coming up to the window, he’d hide behind the nearest tree or bush. He never could force himself to do more than just watch from a distance.

He was so foolish. Young and naive, thinking he had years to repair the damage he’d caused. Now Luke knows better. He knows that you never know how much time you get, and it’s important to take advantage of every opportunity because you never know when - of if - you’ll get it again.

He winds up the driveway, his eyes glued to the pavement. There’s a trio of handprints, one large, one medium, and one small, from when his parents had it repaved and they’d all pressed one of their hands into the wet cement. Luke pauses by it for a moment, a lump growing in his throat.

He presses on. Just one look, he tells himself. It’s torture, seeing them so inanimate and lifeless, old and worn down by years of grief. It’s torture, but he can’t stop himself. He’s the reason for their pain. He’s the reason they’re suffering. It’s only fitting that he bear witness to what he’s done.

He doesn’t look up until he reaches the porch. When he does, he’s surprised to see another person on the doorstep. And it’s not just anyone.

“Julie?” he asks, surprised at first and then upset. He doesn’t want her to see the worst part of him. He doesn’t want her to know how badly he can hurt the people he loves. “What are you doing here?”

She jumps a little and turns. “Luke! I didn’t see you.” His disapproval must show up on his face, because she takes a half step back and puts out her hands in a defensive position. “Look, I just wanted to know more about you - because I was curious.” She looks down. “I came here on your birthday.”

Luke can’t totally suppress the shock that runs through him. “You were spying on me?” He just thought Alex and Reggie had told her about his birthday. He had no idea she had actually come here and been watching him. It feels like a complete invasion of privacy.

“I know. I’m sorry, it was wrong.” She raises her eyes to his, and he sees sympathy in them. “But I’m worried about you.”

He takes a half step away, turning his shoulder to her. “Yeah, well, you don’t have to be.”

“I get it.” There’s a raw pain in her voice that Luke recognizes all too well. “I know how hard it is when you want to speak to someone you love and you can’t. I feel that way every day.”

 _It’s different_ , Luke wants to argue. _I can speak to them. I’m here, and I’m real, and so are my parents. Not speaking to them because of the unknown consequences is a choice. I’m standing here, on their doorstop, and I’m actively choosing not to talk to them._

Deep down, he knows it’s not really a choice. He and Reggie and Alex can’t expose the truth about themselves. The moment they do, they’ll be putting themselves and Julie in danger. But right now, when he’s only feet away from his mom and he’s doing nothing, it sure feels like a choice.

“I don’t even know what I’d say to her, even if I could talk to her,” he says instead.

Julie doesn’t back down. “Yes, you do,” she says. “You’ve already said it. Trust me.”

He stares at her. He sees the determination in her eyes. He understands why this is so important to her. If their places were switched, and it was her mother on the other side of the door, she’d expect him to do this for her. Even though Luke isn’t sure about it, he is sure that he trusts her.

He leans around her to press the doorbell. Then he disappears around the side of the house before anyone can see him.

He slips around the back and finds the window he always watches through. It happens to be cracked open and he can hear the murmur of voices as his parents open the door. Then they step back into the living, letting Julie inside.

Julie stops to pick up a picture frame on the coffee table in the living room. “Is this your son?” he hears her ask his dad.

“Yeah, that’s Luke. When he was two.” His dad has a sad smile on his face, as if reliving old memories.

Then his mother walks over. She smiles at his father and sets her arm on his shoulder.

“This is Julie,” Luke’s dad says. 

Emily smiles. “Hello, Julie. That’s a beautiful sweater.”

Julie glances down. “Oh. Thanks. It was my mom’s.”

“Julie lives in the house where Luke and the band rehearsed,” his dad explains. “She was just telling me that she found a song that Luke wrote.”

Julie reaches into her pocket and pulls out a folded white square. Luke suddenly understands what Julie meant when she said he knew what he would say. He feels the strength drain out of him and it’s all he can do to stay on his feet.

“It’s a song about a girl named Emily?” Julie holds it out.

Emily glances up at her husband and then back at Julie. “I - I’m Emily.”

“Then I think your son may have written this song for you.”

Emily reaches out and takes it slowly. His father reads over her shoulder. Luke’s fingers curl up against the windowsill.

_First things first  
We start the scene in reverse  
All of the lines rehearsed  
Disappeared from my mind_

The living room fades out. In Luke’s mind, he’s reliving the day he ran out. He can still see the Christmas tree lit up in the corner. That was the first year he refused to help his mom decorate the tree. He was too busy with band practices. 

He sees himself shouting at his mother as she chases him through the house. He has his backpack in his hand as he stuffs a handful of clothes into it. She’s yelling back at him, tears streaming down her face. He doesn’t remember the exact words, but he remembers that it was the day he decided to drop out of high school to focus completely on the band. She never liked the idea of him in a rock band, but she’d tolerated it until he declared he was leaving school for it. That’s when they fought bitterly.

_When things got loud  
One of us running out  
I should have turned around  
But I had too much pride_

His parents always saw his music as a hobby. They didn’t understand what it meant to him. They didn’t understand that it was the thing that got him out of bed in the morning and the thing he dreamed about at night. They didn’t understand that music was his purpose for living, the sole thing driving in through life, giving him reason and direction. They didn’t understand that he couldn’t _not_ play music.

And he never took the time to try and explain it to them that way. He was too impatient. He just fought back until he snapped and hastily packed all he could carry, grabbed his bike, and pedaled out. He can still hear his mother’s screams for him to come back echoing in his ears as he took off on that dark, fateful night.

_No time for goodbyes  
Didn’t get to apologize  
Pieces of a clock that lies broken_

_If I could take us back  
If I could just do that  
And write in every empty space  
The words I love you in replace  
Then maybe time would not erase me  
If you could only know  
I never let you go  
And the words I most regret  
Are the ones I never meant to leave  
Unsaid Emily_

Luke remembers writing this song the very next day. Not the whole song, just the first verse. The whole song had taken him months to write. As the time passed and his pain and guilt at leaving grew, the song began to take shape. He spent a lot of gray, lonely days in the studio, the only light the sun shining through the windows. The other boys would be out on the beach or taking a walk to the convenience store down the street to get snacks and he would be hunched over the table, his pen scratching angrily against the paper as he tried to order his thoughts.

_Silent days,  
Mysteries and mistakes  
Who’d be the first to break  
I guess we’re alike that way_

_He said, she said  
Conversations in my head  
And that’s just where they’re gonna stay forever_

All the times he went to his parents’ house and didn’t knock on the door, couldn’t push past his pride to open up the conversation. All the times he saw his mother’s car drive by the street in front of the studio and pull up the curb, but she never stepped out or rolled down the window. Luke got his rebelliousness from her. He got his stubbornness from her. It irritated her, he knew, but she also used to laugh about it when he was younger. Neither of them realized it would turn out to be such a curse.

_If I could take us back  
If I could just do that  
And write in every empty space  
The words I love you in replace  
Then maybe time would not erase me  
If you could only know  
I never let you go  
And the words I most regret  
Are the ones I never meant to leave  
Unsaid Emily_

Even after he’d finished the song, it had taken over a month for him to share it with the others. They only ever played it in the studio, standing around in a circle, no mics, amps turned down. Alex, Reggie, and Bobby just shared in his pain. They all left their families behind for the band, and even though the exact circumstances differed, the same grief resonated in all of them.

The next scene Luke sees isn’t one that he witnessed himself, just one that he can all-too-clearly imagine. He can see the reflection of the flashing red, white, and blue lights from the street as the police pull up. He can see his parents look up, his mother from her knitting and his father from the newspaper or a book. He can see the curiosity turn to shock as they realize the police are in front of their house. He can see the shock turn to raw pain as they realize there’s only one explanation for their presence.

He can clearly hear his mother’s sobs in the empty space because he’s heard her crying like that before.

_If I could take us back  
If I could just do that  
And write in every empty space  
The words I love you in replace  
Then maybe time would not erase me  
If you could only know  
I never let you go  
And the words I most regret  
Are the ones I never meant to leave  
Unsaid Emily_

The visions fade away and Luke is left watching his mother reach a hand up to her face as her body rocks with sobs. His father holds his arm around her, his own eyes sparkling with tears. And Julie, standing in front of them, is crying silently herself.

Emily holds the songsheet to her chest. “Thank you,” she chokes out.

His father manages a smile. “You have no idea what this means to us,” he says.

“I write music in the same room that he did,” Julie says. “And I can tell you that it’s a magical, happy place.”

Emily smiles. His dad holds her closer.

“That’s nice to know,” he says.

“I know Luke was only seventeen when he...died, but he lived doing the one thing he was born to do. Not many people find that, but Luke did. He was lucky.”

There’s something about hearing Julie speak about him in past tense to his parents that cuts through him deeper than any knife. Tears spill over his cheeks and he turns away, holding his arms around his body to hold himself together. He staggers away, unable to watch any longer.

He won’t be able to come here again. Deep down, he knows that this was the last time. What Julie is doing, giving them that song and talking about him, is giving them closure. The last part of them that couldn’t reconcile with his “death” has finally found peace. They can finally move on without feeling guilty about the way things ended.

Now Luke has to try and do the same. His old life is officially dead and gone. He’s nothing but a ghost to everything and everyone in his past. He has to start anew, and the first step to doing so is leaving behind all the things he can’t take forward.

He’ll never forget them. He’ll never fully let go of this pain and guilt. But if he wants any chance at happiness moving forward, he has to shove it into a little box in his mind that he’s only allowed to touch once in a while.

He’s finally said everything he left unsaid. Now it’s time for him to look forward and move on.

He stuffs his headphones into his ear, cranks up the volume, and steps out onto the street. For the first time since he’s been in 2020, he’s finally fully living in it.


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All rights belong to the creators and writers of Julie and the Phantoms (2020). I take no credit, and I do not mean to break any copyright rules. This is simply a work of fiction made for enjoyment. No money is being made.
> 
> Rating: K+

**Chapter 25**

Luke returns at nightfall, shortly before dinner. Julie is playing a game with Carlos, Alex, and Reggie in the living room when she sees his lone figure walking up the driveway through the windows. She excuses herself from the game and heads outside.

He leans against the porch railing. Julie doesn’t know where he went after he disappeared from his parents’ house. She had thought about looking for him, but eventually decided that it was better to just leave him be. She trusted him to come back when he was ready.

“Hey,” she says, letting the door shut softly behind her.

“Hey.”

He looks a lot better than he did earlier. There’s color to his cheeks and his eyes are no longer bloodshot or red. Still, she senses a fragility around him, as if he’s still dipping his toes into the water before deciding to jump in.

“I’m really sorry for overstepping,” she says. 

“No, that was…”

“You don’t have to say anything.” 

He closes the distance between them. “Yeah, I do. I didn’t have any regrets in my life before the game, except for running out on my parents. My mom, especially, so….Thank you.”

Julie swallows and nods. “You helped me feel more connected to my mom, so.” She shrugs. “I wanted to do the same thing for you.”

“That was perfect.” Luke reaches out slowly with his hand. Without taking her eyes off his, she reaches out and intertwines her fingers with his.

They smile at each other. The moment is broken when the door bursts open. They drop each other’s hands and turn as Carlos sticks his head out.

“Time for dinner!” he calls out. He glances between then and not-subtly winks at Julie before heading in. She can’t resist the urge to roll her eyes.

“What was that about?” Luke asks.

“Nothing. He’s just a weird child.” Julie opens the door and motions for him to follow. “Come on. After we’re done eating, Alex and Reggie and I are going to smoke you at Monopoly.”

“You don’t have to sound so confident about it. Maybe I’m killer at Monopoly.”

“Not if what Alex said is true at all.”

Luke scoffs as he walks past her and Julie has the happy feeling that everything is going to be alright with him.

-

“Alright, so Coach Sanders and I have talked and we decided to keep the boys in the dance class for the rest of the semester,” their dance teacher says on Monday. Julie glances over at Nick, who’s already smiling at her. “Our next few dances will be in preparation for the Christmas assembly. That may sound like it’s a long ways away, but it’s only four weeks because of Thanksgiving break.”

Julie can’t believe it. She counts on her fingers. They have two weeks of school left in November before Thanksgiving break, and then two weeks of school in December before Christmas break...wow, it really is coming up fast.

Maybe her sense of time is just skewed because of how late Homecoming was this year. It’s normally at the very end of October. Not to mention she spent several weeks in a video with an entirely different concept of time.

She off-handedly wonders if she’s technically a couple weeks older than her birthday because she spent longer in the game than she did in real life. Not that she can exactly calculate it, or that it matters, but it’s still an idea that fascinates her.

Their instructor begins showing them some basic moves. As they follow, Nick says, “I just hope she doesn’t make us wear Christmas costumes.”

“What? You mean you don’t want to dress like Santa or an elf in front of the entire school?”

He laughs, and Julie smiles. As much as she loves hanging out with the boys, there’s also something she misses about hanging out with people like Flynn and Nick. The wording that comes to mind is “people her age”, even though she knows that’s not strictly true. It’s more like “people from her generation.” Some teen things span generational divides, but there are also some things that the boys just don’t get, no matter how much explaining she does, and there are things they find hilarious that she doesn’t get at all.

She always forgets that they don’t know modern history or culture. One time she sarcastically said “Thanks, Obama” and was met with blank stares. When Carlos shared some classic memes from a few years ago, Julie and her dad were in stitches while the boys glanced at each other. Then Julie had to try and explain what a meme was. Eventually she just gave up. Carlos is still trying, though. Last night he came into her room and was asking for advice on a history of memes powerpoint he was making for them. Julie wasn’t even sure they knew what a powerpoint was.

“I feel like I’d look like Will Ferrel from _Elf_ ,” Nick says, breaking through her thoughts. “Well, not the curly hair, but everything else.”

“Oh! That’s another classic I have to show them.”

Nick raises an eyebrow. “Them..?”

“The boys. You know, Alex, Reggie, and Luke. They’re not totally up to date on American culture.”

“ _Elf_ came out almost twenty years ago. How have they not seen it?” Nick looks incredulous. “Have they seen _The Polar Express? Nightmare Before Christmas_?” He pauses. “Please tell me they’ve at least seen _Home Alone_.”

Julie is thankful the next dance move turns her face away from him. “Ah, that’s a resounding no on all fronts.”

Nick catches her eyes when she spins around. “Julie, this is unbelievable. We have to fix this.”

“We?”

There’s a brief silence while they attempt to follow the next move their instructor is showing them.

“We should get together over break and have a huge movie showing,” Nick suggests. “I think it would be really fun and a great chance to get to know them better. I know they’re really popular because of the band, but how many actual friends do they have?”

“None, other than me and kinda Flynn,” Julie admits. “Nick, I think this is a great idea. And it’s really thoughtful of you.”

They walk together to their next class. When Julie stops at her locker, she feels Nick staring at her. When she looks over, she can see nervousness written all over his face.

“Julie…” he begins. “I know you’re really busy with the band and everything, but would you maybe have time to go out with me?”

She inhales sharply. A month ago, she would have fallen over his feet sobbing yes. (Okay, not literally, but you know.) Now, all she feels is a sinking feeling in her stomach. Nick has been a good friend to her, and she hates to let him down, especially after she kind of led him on.

She didn’t mean to. She had no idea that her life would change so much in the span of a couple of weeks. She never meant for him to get hurt.

“You’re a great guy. Really.” She forces a small smile. “Any girl would be lucky to go out with you.”

“That doesn’t sound like a yes.” He laughs nervously.

“Because it isn’t. I’m sorry.” She clutches her textbook tightly to her chest. “You’re a really great friend, Nick.”

He swallows and nods. “Can I - can I just ask one question?”

Julie nods.

“Do you like someone else?”

_Like_ is such a weak word to describe the connection between her and Luke, but she’s not about to twist the dagger in Nick’s heart by attempting to explain that to him. 

“Yeah.” She looks down, unable to meet his eyes.

“Okay. I understand. Guess I waited too long.” His voice has a strain of fake optimism. “I guess, ah, I guess I’m going to go now. Still dance partners, though, right?”

She looks up quickly. “Of course! Yeah. Always dance partners.” She reaches out and gives him an incredibly awkward half-hug before they part ways. Her body is sending out all sorts of mixed signals as she walks away.

She doesn’t get more than six feet before Flynn finds her. “Julie! What just happened? That was definitely more than small talk going on!”

“Nick just asked me out.”

“And?”

Julie shoots her a helpless look. “And I said no. Because of Luke.”

She tells Flynn about what happened over the weekend. Flynn loops her arm around Julie’s as they walk through the halls.

“So are you guys like a thing now?” Flynn asks.

“Yeah, I guess. I don’t know what we are exactly. I think we’re just taking it slow, feeling things out. We’ve only known each other for a few weeks, even though it feels like months or years.”

“But you’re exclusive.”

“Yeah. I mean, I just turned down my crush of several years and it’s not like Luke knows anyone else that well.”

“Except that girl.” Flynn nods. A few feet ahead, Luke is standing by a girl and talking to her. Julie recognizes it as the girl who he sits by on the bus, the one who always reads. Julie watches as she says something and Luke breaks out in a huge smile.

Julie feels her blood turn to slush in her veins. Luke glances over, sees her, and then enthusiastically waves her over. Moving as stiff as a robot, she walks over.

“Julie! Have you met Beth?” he asks.

Julie manages a smile. “No, I haven’t. Nice to meet you, Beth.”

“And you, too.”

“Beth’s dad is the manager of a café in downtown L.A.,” Luke says.

Julie doesn’t understand the wide grin on his face. “Okay…”

“He holds a lot of open mic nights for new and young artists at the café,” Beth explains. “There are a lot of managers and executives from record labels who stop by to scout out rising talent.”

“She was telling me that there’s an open mic next weekend,” Luke continues. “She’s going to show her dad our Youtube videos and see if he’ll get us a performing slot.”

Julie’s jealousy is swept away in a wave of excitement. She feels foolish for automatically assuming the worst. She can’t believe she’s become the jealous type over a boy that she’s not even officially dating. “That’s awesome! You’d really do that for us, Beth?”

The girl smiles. “Of course. I stayed after the assembly and watched you guys perform the first time and you were awesome! And the boys and I are in the same English class and they’ve been so nice to me. I never used to have a partner for group work, but now I have three.”

Luke’s face turns a slight shade of red. “It’s nothing. We know what it’s like to be overlooked in high school. In the nine - in Sweden, none of us were popular. We were the weird outcasts.”

“I find _that_ hard to believe,” Flynn says, her eyes glancing up and down him.

Luke shrugs. “It’s the truth. We didn’t always used to be rockstars.”

Beth glances between Luke and Julie. “Is there a number I can get for my dad to call? He’ll probably have some technical questions for the venue and he’ll want to confirm a time.”

Flynn reaches out between them, an embossed card in her hand. “Here. I’m kind of like their manager.”

“Great!” Beth takes it. “You should be hearing back in a few days. I can’t wait to see you guys play live again.”

She closes her locker and waves to them before heading off in the other direction. Luke falls in step with Flynn and Julie.

“When did you create business cards?” Julie asks, taking one from Flynn and inspecting it.

“After the band’s first official performance. I had a feeling we might need them.” Flynn reaches across Julie and hands a small stack to Luke. “Here. Start giving these out to all your fangirls.”

“We never even decided if we were officially going to be a band,” Julie says.

“We didn’t?” Luke frowns. “No, I’m pretty sure we did.”

“Maybe without me.” Julie rolls her eyes. “We’re going to have to start practicing more if we’re going to be playing official gigs.”

“We have enough songs down for a small set. Maybe this weekend we can write some more.”

The thought of spending all weekend with Luke in the studio makes Julie’s heart soar. She smiles. “Yeah, that would be awesome. And after school we’ll get with Reggie and Alex to practice.”

Julie and Luke break off from Flynn at their classroom door. It’s history class, and Julie is dreading it. With Luke sitting behind her and Nick beside her, it’s going to be awkward. She doesn’t know if Nick knows that Luke is the other person, but it wouldn’t surprise her. They haven’t been exactly subtle around him.

Julie takes her seat and avoids interacting with either one of them. Luckily the bell rings a few seconds later and the teacher is already sending out worksheets through the rows.

“We’re going to be talking about 9/11 today,” Mrs. Gomez says. “Can anyone tell me some of the effects 9/11 has on our society today?”

A student raises their hand. “Airport security.”

“Good. Yes?”

“The Patriot Act and the government gaining the power to monitor us through our phones.”

“Good.”

“The war on Terrorism and increased conflicts in the Middle East.”

Luke leans forward and whispers to Julie, “What’s 9/11?”

She’s so shocked that she spins around sharply. “What?”

“I don’t know what 9/11 is,” he repeats. “I thought it was a convenience store.”

“That’s 7/11.”

“Julie?” Mrs. Gomez’ voice breaks through. “Do you have something you’d like to share with the class?”

Julie spins back around slowly, feeling the eyes of the entire class on her. “I was just, uh, trying to explain to Luke some things. Since he doesn’t have the same, uh, American perspective as we do.”

Mrs. Gomez’s face turns from irritated to pleased. “Of course. Luke, would you mind talking about how people in Sweden view 9/11 and America’s reactions afterward?”

Julie can’t see Luke’s face, but somehow she knows he’s going to say something incredibly stupid. It’s not his fault that he doesn’t know about 9/11, but it is his fault that he’s terrible at making up stuff on the spot.

“We, uh, I mean, a lot of people aren’t really educated about it,” he says. Julie breathes a sigh of relief. Maybe she underestimated him. He adds, “They don’t think it really happened. It’s all a conspiracy theory.”

And there it is. Julie slinks lower in her seat as gasps go around the classroom and eyes turn towards him. She fears Mrs. Gomez might have a heart attack.

“Then what do they think happened to the Twin Towers?” the teacher asks, barely managing to keep herself pulled together. “Live footage of their destruction was played on TVs all over the world!”

“The Twin Towers? Like, in New York? They’re gone?”

The class explodes into a dozen different hushed conversations. Mrs. Gomez nearly runs over to her computer, where she pulls up Youtube and turns on the projector. Julie sees Nick staring at Luke, his mouth agape.

“I understand that other countries don’t study American History intensely, but the consequences of 9/11 were so international that I can’t imagine you wouldn’t learn about it.” Mrs. Gomez pulls up a video. Julie realizes that it’s real footage from 9/11. “It was only the biggest terrorist attack in the history of the United States of America.”

For the rest of the class period, they watch the unedited footage. A dozen different angles, a dozen different cameras. Julie has seen bits and pieces before, but never full, second-by-second coverage. Based on the reactions of everyone in her class, they hadn’t seen it, either.

When the class period ends, Mrs. Gomez calls Luke over to her desk. Julie lingers in the doorway, waiting for him. The classroom is already mostly filled with students before Luke is released.

“She just told me exactly what happened,” Luke tells Julie as they walk together. “I had no idea.”

“I know.” Julie feels bad for him. She’s lived through some significant events in her life, and waking up to hear that something is gone that existed the day before is never easy. In Luke’s case, he never got to hear it or experience the loss at the same time as everyone else. “But maybe next time the teacher asks about something you don’t know, you should just admit you don’t know much about it. I think you almost gave her a heart attack.”

“I can’t believe I’m about to say this,” Luke says, “But maybe I need to spend some time reading up on modern history.”

“You can borrow my laptop. What have you heard so far?”

“I know there was a recession a few years ago - your dad was telling us about that, I’ve heard people talk about wars in the Middle East, and now I know about 9/11. That’s it.”

Julie smiles a little. “Yeah, you definitely need to do some research. Just wait until you learn about the first black president.”

“America has had a black president?! How much did I miss?”

“Oh, only about twenty-five years.”


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All rights belong to the creators and writers of Julie and the Phantoms (2020). I take no credit, and I do not mean to break any copyright rules. This is simply a work of fiction made for enjoyment. No money is being made.
> 
> Rating: K+
> 
> Author's Note: Sorry for the inconsistant updates lately! Uni has been kicking my butt

**Chapter 26**

As with every Friday, the overall energy of the students around the school is higher than normal. Teachers are unable to fully control their students and in some cases simply give up. In Julie’s dance class, one of the guys connects his phone to the bluetooth speaker in the middle of the lesson and starts blasting dance music. Once everyone starts dancing around on their own, their instructor simply goes along with the music instead of reconnecting her phone and they spend the rest of the hour doing zumba. In her music class, a few of the guys start up an impromptu acoustic cover session and about half the class ends up sitting around in a wide circle, singing songs campfire style or improvising on their instruments. 

Julie didn’t expect her history class to fall into chaos, but she should have known the moment she saw that Mrs. Gomez was out. 

“Oh, dude,” Luke says, reaching over and nudging her arm. “We got a sub today.”

“Yeah, and not just any sub,” the girl sitting next to him says, leaning back and crossing her arms over her chest. She sticks her feet up on the top of her desk. “It’s Mr. Thelen. He’s fresh out of college and did most of his student teaching here. He’s super chill.”

The entire class knows it, too. He greets them with a light joke and then passes out a worksheet that’s supposed due on Monday, though Julie is sure it’s just busy work that Mrs. Gomez will probably forget about over the weekend. Then he disappears to the desk in the corner and pulls out his phone. A few girls wander over to chat with him - supposedly he’s attractive, though Julie isn’t convinced he’s not gay - and the rest of the class breaks up into small groups that are either messing around or talking.

She moves to a quieter corner of the room to do her worksheet. A group of the popular students in front of her have their phones out and are playing Among Us. The best part of that game is that they’re completely silent for about seventy percent of the time while they go around and do their tasks.

The class as a whole is pretty loud, so she digs out her headphones and puts on music while she works. It takes her twenty minutes to do her worksheet. The entire time her leg is bouncing up and down, and not necessarily in time with the music. Nervous energy has been flowing through her body the entire day.

Last week, Flynn had received a call from Beth’s dad at the cafe. After watching their videos, he was excited to reserve them a spot on his open mic night. Tonight is going to be their band’s first performance since the backyard gig and their first public performance outside of school. Julie is more than a little nervous about it, but she’s also bursting at the seams with excitement.

A loud cheer goes up through the classroom, causing even Julie to look up. Her eyes widen with horror as she sees what’s going on in the middle of the classroom. Six desks have been cleared off and pushed together to create a rectangular surface. A wall of textbooks is set up, spines facing upward, across the middle, and two boys are swatting a ping pong ball back and forth, using their phones as paddles.

The worst part isn’t _what_ the boys are doing. It’s the boys _who are_ doing it: none other than Nick and Luke.

Julie feels herself slowly rise, wander around the group of students playing Among Us, and find a spot among the other spectators who have created a ring around the make-shift ping pong table. Alex is the one who carries the boys’ phone, so Luke is obviously borrowing someone else’s phone to play with. Based on the glitter case, Julie is sure he just turned his charming smile on one of the girls who are obsessed with him.

Nick makes a strategically (or lucky) edge shot that Luke has no hope of getting. An “Awww!” rises up from the spectators and Luke laughs.

“Good shot, man.”

They play a couple more rounds. Julie winces every time they smack the ping pong ball with their phones but she doesn’t see any cracks on the screens. 

Luke sees her watching and beckons her over. She shakes her head, and he walks over and grabs her arm, pulling her over.

“C’mon, try it! It’s super fun!”

“Until someone’s phone breaks, or the principal walks in.”

He rolls his eyes. “You worry too much.”

Before she knows it, he’s got her standing across from Nick, the glittery phone in her hand. He stands behind her - like, directly behind her - and holds her arms, showing her how to swing.

“Nice and easy. You don’t have to hit it as hard as you think.” He shows her motions one more time and then steps away. Julie can still feel her skin burning where he touched her.

Across the table, Nick holds the ping pong ball in his hand. “You ready, Molina?”

Although she generally disapproves of stunts like this, she feels her competitive nature kicking in. She channels her nervous energy for tonight in the moment.

“Oh, yeah. Bring it.”

Nick serves to her left. She hits it over and he returns it. Her next hit goes straight into the wall of textbooks that serves as a make-shift net.

“One-zero.” He serves again. This time Julie gets the point after a lucky corner shot.

“One all.”

Julie tries slamming the ball. It flies over the table and Nick turns as it nails him in the side. She covers her mouth even as he stares at her in shock. Then a smile breaks out on his face.

“So that’s how we’re going to play.” He narrows his eyes at her. “Two-one.”

When he tries a slam, it’s much more accurate than hers and actually hits the table before flying through the air. Julie swings with her phone-paddle and misses. Luke retrieves the ball.

“Three-one.” Nick serves again. She’s picked up on the pattern of his serving and she’s able to easily return the ball. He tries another slam and this time she’s able to return it.

Except when she returns it, she hits it too hard and with the phone angled upwards. It flies through the air and hits the wall less than an inch from Mr. Thelen’s face. For the first time since he sat down, he looks up.

Julie instinctively shies away. She turns and takes a half step backwards, running straight into Luke. He wraps his arms around her and she can feel his body vibrating with laughter.

Mr. Thelen simply shakes his head and tosses the ping pong ball back their way before sitting back down, kicking his legs up on the desk, and turning back to his phone.

Julie feels several eyes on her, especially Nick’s. She steps away from Luke and he releases her. It’s not that she’s embarrassed to be seen with him, but she knows that all his fangirls are going to be talking about it and until she’s sure exactly what their relationship is, she doesn’t feel like fielding a bunch of questions.

Not to mention that she feels like it’s rubbing it in Nick’s face a little, which she still feels a little bit of guilt over.

Julie steps away from the game. Luke and Nick switch out with two other guys and they join the spectators in the audience. The girl who had loaned Luke her phone takes a selfie with him. Julie is sure she’ll see it on Instagram and Snapchat by the end of the day. Then she drags him over to the group of people playing Among Us and begins teaching him how to play.

Nick comes over to stand by her. “So, I heard you’re playing at this cafe in downtown L.A. tonight.”

“Yeah.” She looks over at him. “At eight. Are you coming?”

“I wouldn’t miss it.”

Julie smiles a little. “Good. It’s always nice to look out into the crowd and see a friendly face.”

“There should be plenty of friendly faces. I know of at least twenty girls in the ‘Swedish Rockstars’ fanclub.”

Julie laughs dryly. “I wouldn’t exactly call those friendly faces. They would eat me alive to trade places with me. All they care about is the boys.”

He glances over and smiles. “Are you saying I should start the Julie Molina fanclub?”

“You’d probably be the only member.”

“I’m sure I could get Flynn in as president.”

“She’s my best friend. She hardly counts.”

Nick’s face turns serious. “There are a lot of people who appreciate you, Julie. You might not have a fanclub or groupies that follow you around and beg for selfies, but there’s a lot of people in this school that recognize your talent. You inspire them. And after everything you’ve gone through with your mom, no one here really doubts how strong of a person you are.”

“Yeah, well, it would be nice for them to say it to my face for once.”

“I hate to say it, but that’s probably asking too much for high school. Just wait until you make it big. Then everyone will appreciate you for you.”

“Thank you, Nick. That makes me feel a lot better.”

Julie holds his gaze and suddenly she remembers why she had a crush on him for years. This is who Nick is: sweet, caring, and encouraging. Even after she rejected him, he’s still treating her the same way he did before. Most guys would just avoid her, but not Nick. He won’t ruin their friendship because she turned him down.

The bells rings, and the class turns to sudden chaos as everyone straightens the tables and picks up their mess. Julie waves to Nick as she and Luke walk out.

All she can think is that it’s just a couple more hours before their big performance.

-

“Hi, guys!”

Beth meets them at the backdoor of the cafe. She’s wearing a casual knee-length dress with leggings and boots. Julie almost doesn’t recognize her; she’s used to seeing the girl wearing baggy jeans and a hoodie. It makes her wonder how other people differ outside of school.

“Hey, Beth.” Luke flashes her a smile. “I hope we’re not too early.”

“Not at all.” She turns as a man in his forties approaches. “This is my dad. Dad, this is Julie and the Phantoms - or, Julie, Luke, Alex, Reggie, and Flynn, their manager.”

Flynn steps forward and shakes his hand. “We spoke on the phone. It’s nice to meet you in person.”

Julie can hardly keep a straight face at the sight of her best friend acting so grown up and mature. Flynn has really taken this manager’s role seriously. She’s lucky to have a friend as dedicated and loyal as her.

“Likewise.” Beth’s dad shakes her hand. “You can call me Henry. It’s nice to meet you all.”

He goes around and shakes all their hands before leading them into a back room. There are instrument cases and jackets scattered everywhere. One group is finishing packing up. They wave as they head out.

“You guys can warm up and leave your stuff here. There are two groups in front of you, so feel free to check out the cafe while you’re waiting.”

Julie and the boys warm up for a little before taking his advice. The cafe itself isn’t big, but there are lots of little tables and standing room in between. There are maybe fifty to seventy people inside, including one table with a group of adults in professional attire. The way they’re staring at the group performing instantly alerts Julie to the fact that they’re scouts for record labels. She points them out to the boys.

Julie’s dad, Tía, and Carlos show up as the group performing ends their last song. Nick arrives while the stage is being cleared.

To Julie’s surprise, the next group going up to perform is none other than Carrie’s group, Dirty Candy. She, the boys, and Flynn watch from the audience.

Carrie steps out into the middle of the stage, wearing a white crop top, a sheer pink jacket overtop, and silver sparkly mini-shorts. She has a headset wrapped around her pink wig.

_Wherever I walk into the room  
All the focus on me  
The way I talk, the way I move  
They all want on my team_

Her posse joins her, all wearing similar outfits in different colors.

_Not tryna brag, brag  
But I’m flawless  
I’m taking over your playlist  
Ain’t perfect, but I can’t miss  
Yeah, the party don’t start  
‘Til I walk in  
I’m stealing all the attention  
Don’t get me started on mentions, yeah_

Behind her, Julie feels the air move. She turns to see Alex dancing in the back, trying to copy Carrie’s dance moves. Luke rests his arm on Reggie’s shoulder as the two of them watch with amused smiles.

_Some might say I sound conceited  
They don’t get the shine that I get  
Some get jealous, they can’t help it  
They wish they were me, oh_

Alex pauses when he sees Julie and Flynn watching him.

“Having fun?” Julie asks.

“It’s not my fault. It’s my...feet.”

“Uh huh.”

He looks back up to Carrie’s group and a small smiles crosses his face. “Pur me back in, Coach,” he says quietly before continuing his dancing.

_All I see is all eyes on me  
When I grow up I want to be me, be me  
I’m my own goals, just talking honestly  
Think I won the lottery  
Ain’t no one as hot as me  
Stealin’ looks it’s robbery  
Everywhere I go all eyes on me_

As Carrie dives into the last song of their set, Julie and the boys head to the back room to grab their instruments. Julie takes off her jacket. The outfit she’s wearing is a mix of clothes that belonged to her mother. A short turquoise dress with silver studs, a black, sleeveless leather jacket with a pin, and black shorts underneath. She has her hair pulled up in a high ponytail.

The boys are dressed pretty much as they always do - Luke with a white cut-off shirt, jeans, and vans; Reggie with a black t-shirt, red and black flannel shirt tied around his waist, and black jeans; and Alex in his pink sweatshirt, jeans, and all white shoes. His ever-present fanny pack is slung around his torso.

Julie is the first to step up. The lights darken around them and the spotlight shines on her, seated behind the keyboard. Her eyes sweep the cafe, noticing all the strangers staring back at her. Carrie is standing next to Nick with her arms crossed over her chest, her posse on the other side of her. Julie’s dad, brother, and aunt are in the back, cameras lifting, and smiles on their faces. There’s a small group of people from school that Julie recognizes by face only.

She leans forward and the mic squeals. Carrie sneers. Julie tries again.

“Hello, I’m Julie. My band, Julie and the Phantoms, are going to perform a few songs for you all tonight. We’re really thankful to be here and we hope you enjoy our performance tonight.”

The crowd claps politely, and then a tense silence falls. Julie can feel the anticipation in the air. Her fingers hover over the keys. She takes a deep breath and then begins to play.

_Hearts on fire  
We’re no liars  
So we say what we wanna say_

_I’m awakened  
No more faking  
So we push all our fears away_

_Don’t know if I’ll make it  
‘Cause I’m falling under  
Close my eyes and feel my chest  
Beating like thunder_

_I wanna fly  
Come alive  
Watch me shine_

All the stage lights turn on at once as the boys join in for the chorus. Julie stands up from her keyboard and moves to the mic stand in the middle of the stage. Around her, the audience erupts into smiles and a few even clap around.

_I got a spark in me  
Hands up if you can see  
And you’re a part of me  
Hands up if you’re with me  
Now ‘til eternity  
Hands up if you believe  
Been so long and now  
We’re finally free_

_We’re all bright now  
What a sight now  
Comin’ out like we’re fireworks_

_Marching on proud  
Turn it up now  
‘Cause now we now what we’re worth_

She looks over to her left as Luke joins his voice with hers. Around her, she can see the audience swaying back and forth, moved by the music, but her eyes are only for him. As he sings he stares back at her in the same way.

_We know we can make it  
We’re not fallin down under  
Close my eyes and feel my chest  
Beating like thunder _

_I wanna fly  
Come alive   
Watch me shine_

Alex and Reggie jump in to give supporting vocals for the chorus. Julie turns her eyes back to the crowd. She can see Nick rocking out, Carrie standing next to him with a deep scowl on her face. Half of her posse looks jealous of them while the other half glance at Carrie as if unsure of how to react. Her dad, Tía, and Carlos have huge smiles on their faces from behind their cameras. Flynn and Beth are dancing next to each other by the stage wing.

_I got a spark in me  
Hands up if you can see  
And you’re a part of me  
Hands up if you’re with me  
Now ‘til eternity  
Hands up if you believe  
Been so long and now  
We’re finally free_

For the bridge, Julie dances over to Luke and holds up her mic between the two of them. He follows her as she leads to the middle of the stage, his eyes never leaving hers as they sing to each other.

_I got a spark in me  
I got a spark in me  
And you’re a part of me  
And you’re a part of me  
Now ‘til eternity  
Now ‘til eternity  
Been so long but now  
We’re finally free_

As they dive into the last chorus, Luke heads back his own mic. Julie sings out for the crowd, unable to keep the smile off of her face. The audience loves them. Most of them are on their feet, dancing or swaying or taking videos on their phones. Julie even sees the scouts for the record labels standing, watching them closely.

As the boys drop out and Julie sings the last line, the crowd begins cheering. This is their first true crowd, one not made up completely with self-absorbed teenagers or friends but with people who are actually interested in discovering new artists and music. She smiles and a warmth fills her from the inside as she accepts the applause. She walks backward a few feet and Reggie and Luke wraps their arms around her shoulders. She can hear Alex standing up from the drums behind them.

“Thank you,” Julie says, lifting up her mic once more. “We’re Julie and the Phantoms. Tell your friends.”

Once the applause begins to peter out, they clear the stage for the next group. When they head back into the cafe, Julie is assaulted by Flynn, who practically throws herself into her arms.

“Julie! That was amazing! I know I always say that, but I really think that was next-level.”

Julie smiles and hugs her back. “Thanks, Flynn. And thanks for doing all the background work to get us this gig!”

Beth gives Julie a hug as well. “My dad had something come up, or else he’d be here himself, but he said that you guys are welcome whenever we have an opening.” Beth hands Flynn a card. “His cell phone number. A bit more direct than the business number.”

Julie, Flynn, and the boys wind around the back to find Julie’s family. A few people stop them along the way to congratulate them or ask for their socials. Flynn hands out a dozen business cards. 

When Julie reaches Carrie, the welcoming is a little colder.

“That wasn’t bad, for a rookie,” Carrie says, her arms crossed over her chest. “The crowd seemed to like you guys, at least.”

Julie decides to take it as a compliment. “Thanks, Carrie. You guys were really good as well.”

Nick congratulates them as well and gives Julie a quick hug. Out of the corner of her eye. Julie sees Reggie chatting up Kayla. He turns to Alex and says something. Alex sighs before pulling out their shared phone, which Reggie promptly hands to Kayla.

Julie finally reaches her family. Her dad and Tía give her hugs and gush over the performance while Carlos talks animately to the boys. Julie feels someone tug on her arm and she turns to see Flynn.

“What is it?”

Flynn nods with her head. Julie turns all the way around to see a woman wearing professional clothing approach. She was sitting at the table with the other record executives.

“Hello, Julie.” The woman offers her hand. “My name is Andi Parker, from Destiny Management. That was quite the performance you had tonight.”

“Thank you.” Julie half-turns. “Andi, this is Luke, Alex and Reggie.”

“And I’m Flynn. I do all the behind-the-scenes work.”

“Nice to meet you all.” Andi smiles. “I would love to see you all perform again. Do you have another gig lined up?”

Julie is glad Flynn is on top of things because she’s freaking out. A record label is interested in them?? Already?

Flynn calmly offers up one of her business cards. “We don’t have another gig booked yet, but as soon as we do we’ll post about it on all our socials. My phone number and email are on there as well.”

Andi accepts it. “Thank you. I’m looking forward to meeting you all again. Hopefully not too far in the future.” She waves to them as she turns back and winds through the cafe.

“Oh my gosh!” Flynn once again jumps Julie.

They split into two groups to drive home, since they have all their equipment. The boys load in with Tía and Carlos and Julie and Flynn drive with her dad. Julie is still riding the high of the performance. She has the feeling she won’t get too much sleep tonight.

Tía’s car gets home first. Flynn jumps out to help the boys unload everything back in the garage. Julie goes to follow, but her dad stops her.

“Hey, Julie.”

“Yeah?”

He shifts in his seat, his eyes not quite reaching hers. The last time he looked this uncomfortable was when he gave her the Talk. Julie’s glow fades a little.

“I’ve noticed that you and Luke seem...extra close,” he finally says.

Julie has no idea what to say, so she stays silent. Her dad sighs.

“I don’t want this to be weird. They’re all great kids, and you know I’ve grown fond of them. You guys are teenagers and if you like each other, I’m not going to get in the way. I just want you to be sure before you commit to anything, because we’re all going to be living in the same house for the rest of the year.”

She smiles a little. “There won’t be any drama,” she promises. “No matter what.”

He nods. “Okay. That’s all. Oh, and if you guys are - or if you do - date, the house rules still apply. No boys in your bedroom.”

“Okay. No boys in my bedroom.” Julie steps out of the car and closes the door behind her. That conversation could have been a lot worse, and while it was still pretty awkward, she’s relieved that it’s over.

She heads into the garage, where the boys and Flynn are loading in the last of the equipment. Carlos brings in some boxes of pizza that they’d ordered on the way and all the teens sit around the coffee table, celebrating the success of their first performance.

Luke sits next to Julie and casually slings his arm around her shoulder while he and Reggie relive a moment from the concert. She doesn’t even feel embarrassed as she leans against him. Julie sits on her other side, passionately arguing about something with Alex, waving a hand full of pizza through the air to accent her point. 

The studio, which has seen so much heartbreak and emptiness and silence in it’s many years, once again is filled with the joy and light that Julie remembers from her childhood and she’s sure it saw during Sunset Curve’s days.

Julie herself feels completely at home and happy. She hopes her mom is watching them now, seeing how far Julie has come in such a short time.


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All rights belong to the creators and writers of Julie and the Phantoms (2020). I take no credit, and I do not mean to break any copyright rules. This is simply a work of fiction made for enjoyment. No money is being made.
> 
> Rating: K+
> 
> Author's Note: And so begins Act III...
> 
> Do you guys want to see Flarrie (Flynn/Carrie) or Nick/Carrie?

**Chapter 27**

Thanksgiving is one of Julie’s favorite holidays.

Unlike Christmas and Easter, it’s not over-commercialized. Unlike Halloween, they actually get school off. Unlike Valentine’s and St. Patrick’s Day, it actually has a legitimate purpose. And unlike Columbus Day, it celebrates unity between different people groups instead of genocide and imperialism.

Thanksgiving is the most casual holiday of the year. Julie and her family have a tradition of doing nothing except spending the morning in the kitchen together. Everyone has a dish they’re assigned to make and the atmosphere is always filled with laughs and bickering as everyone tries to navigate in the small space using the same tools.

They had to adjust their plans slightly with the boys being here. Tía creates a rotation for the kitchen, making sure there are never more than four people in it at a time. She also makes sure there’s always a veteran cook to help out the boys. Alex and Luke are clueless when it comes to cooking. 

Reggie is surprisingly quite familiar with cooking. Other than asking where things are located, he doesn’t need any help as he prepares the sweet potato casserole.

“My parents weren’t home very much when I was growing up,” he explains. “I had to cook for myself and my brother a lot.”

Carlos takes Alex under his wing and teaches him how they do their homemade mashed potatoes and stuffing. They are the only dishes Carlos knows how to make aside from boxed Mac and Cheese and Ramen, but he’s gotten good at them over the years. Julie remembers their mom teaching him how to do it years ago.

Julie and Luke are in charge of the dessert. They make a pumpkin and an apple pie. It becomes quite obvious to Julie that Luke has never tried to cook anything before. The kitchen is filled with laughter as she steps back and lets him try on his own.

Tía makes green bean casserole and homemade cranberry sauce and Julie’s dad does the turkey. By noon, the house smells absolutely delicious. Julie’s stomach rumbles; she never eats breakfast on Thanksgiving in order to save more room for the big feast.

Ray calls everyone to the table at one. Tía breaks out a bottle of wine and even shares it with Julie and the boys (“Only one half glass, though,” she insists). Before they eat, they go around the table and share what they’re thankful for.

“I’m thankful for family,” Julie’s dad says. “I didn’t expect my family to grow so much this year, but I’m thankful it has.”

“I’m thankful for my new brothers,” Carlos says. “I always thought it was rotten luck to be stuck with just a sister. But I guess I’m thankful for her for bringing them here.”

Julie is so happy that she doesn’t even kick him under the table for that.

“I’m thankful for my mom,” she says. “She might not be here with us physically anymore, but her spirit still lives on. I feel her everytime I play music. I feel her in the house. I felt her in the kitchen this morning. I feel her every day in my heart.”

“I’m thankful for being surrounded by people who love and support me,” Alex says.

“I’m thankful for Alex and Reggie, for sticking by my side through thick and thin,” Luke says. “I’m thankful for Julie, for bringing us here. And I’m thankful for Ray and Carlos for letting us stay.”

Reggie’s eyes are watering when he speaks. “I’m thankful for having a real, loving family.”

They all raise their glasses and the feast begins.

After they’ve all eaten way too much, the rest of the day passes in a blur. Tía and Ray hang out upstairs while Julie, Carlos, and the boys hang out downstairs. Carlos turns on the football game, which only he and Reggie watch. Alex borrows Julie’s laptop and watches Youtube. Julie and Luke nap on the couch together.

Julie’s woken up by her phone vibrating in her pocket. When she sees who’s calling, she reluctantly rolls off the couch and walks out of the room.

“Nick?” she answers. “What’s up?”

“Happy Thanksgiving, first of all,” he says.

“Yeah, Happy Thanksgiving to you.”

“I wanted to ask a huge favor of you.”

Julie can’t imagine what would be a huge favor to him. “Yeah?”

“For our movie day tomorrow - do you think we could have it at Carrie’s house?”

Wow. Julie didn’t have any particular expectations, but that request would be the last thing she could imagine. She doesn’t know what to say.

Nick must take her silence as a no because he rushes to explain. “I know you guys have some bad blood, but I think she’s going through a really hard time right now. Kayla texted and said that she’s all alone today. Her dad disappeared earlier this week like he sometimes does and she’s been all alone in that big house.”

As much as Julie dislikes Carrie, she can’t help but feel pity for the girl. Her argument is only half-hearted. “Doesn’t she have maids or something?”

“Please, Julie. You guys used to be friends. It would mean a lot to her - and to me.”

_Used to be friends_ is the key phrase here. If their places were switched, Julie highly doubts that Carrie would even consider it. But Julie remembers how happy she’s been today with the boys and her family and she wouldn’t wish the opposite on anyone.

“Okay, we can do that. But I have to warn you - I’m not sure Carrie will show her appreciation in the way you think she might show it.”

“Thanks, Julie. I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

“Yeah. See you tomorrow.”

She slips her phone back into her sweatpants and heads back to the TV room. The idea of bringing the boys into their former bandmate’s house is probably a terrible idea, but Julie will deal with that when the time comes. For now, she’s going to enjoy the rest of her Thanksgiving.

-

Thanks to all her napping the day before, Julie wakes up pretty early the next day. Her dad and Tia went Black Friday shopping and left at who knows what hour, so the house is quiet. When Julie makes it down to the kitchen, she sees a haggard looking Alex hunched over a bowl of cereal. He has purple bags under his eyes and his hair is mussed up.

“I would say good morning, but it doesn’t look like it is a good morning for you,” she says. She starts a pot of coffee and grabs a bowl of cereal.

“It’s not.” Alex hardly reacts as she pours two cups of coffee and slides one over to him. “I had some nightmares.”

“About the game?” Julie hates even bringing it up. She spent so much time in the game that the first few weeks out of it, she still dreamt of it. All her boys have died - like, really died - in her dreams.

“Yeah. Mostly about Willie.” Alex wraps his hands around the steaming mug of coffee. If it burns him, he doesn’t let it show. “The thing is, they didn’t feel like normal nightmares. They were as clear as if they were really happening. It felt more like a...a vision.”

“What happened?”

“It was weird. I was in the game, but I was myself. And it wasn’t the same place as before. It was a new area of the map, one we didn’t explore. But it was definitely Jumanji. And Willie was there, and he looked scared. When he saw me, he told me I had to go and that I couldn’t come back. He said Caleb was expecting us. I asked him if he was alright, if Caleb had punished him for helping us, and he held out his arm. He had two lines on his arm.”

“He’s on his last life.” Julie reaches out and touches Alex’s arm with her hand. “I’m so sorry.”

Alex glares at his coffee. “Yeah. I just feel so helpless. There has to be something we can do to save him.”

“We already won the game. If we had the power to break him out, he would have come out with us.”

“He was under contract with Caleb last time we played. Now that contract’s broken. What if we went in and won again?”

All Julie can do is stare at him. She understands his pain. Willie was her friend, too. If she knew a way to get him out, she wouldn’t hesitate. But they don’t know that going back in the game would save him. And if what he told Alex in his dream is true, then going back in would risk all of their lives.

Things just got settled here. The boys are moved in and integrated, their music is starting to take off, and life is good. Julie isn’t willing to risk all of that over a life-like nightmare.

“I’m sorry, Alex,” she repeats. “But I’m not going in that game again unless I was a hundred percent sure that we could save Willie. I’m not even one percent sure right now. If that dream was real, then he himself said he doesn’t want us coming in to get him.”

He raises his eyes to hers, and Julie swallows at the tortured look in them.

“What if it was Luke stuck in there?” he asks. “Wouldn’t you be willing to risk it all?”

As much as Julie hates her answer, Alex deserves no less than honesty. “No. Not under these circumstances. I don’t want to get stuck in the game for twenty five years or die because of a dream. It’s exactly what Caleb would want us to do and what Willie fought against. He broke his contract for us. We have to respect his decision. If we go back in and throw our lives away for nothing, then everything he did for us is a waste.”

Alex doesn’t respond. Julie knows exactly how he feels. She felt that way herself when her mother died. He’s in denial right now. He’s willing to do anything, no matter how stupid or dangerous, just to get another second with the person he cares about. Julie’s been there and she knows how self-destructive it can be.

She just wishes she knew what to say. There’s nothing that will make him feel better, she knows, but almost anything is better than the silence stretching out between them.

She’s saved by the appearance of Carlos. He looks half-asleep still, but not so asleep that he doesn’t try and swipe her coffee.

Reggie and Luke are up within the hour. Somehow Julie and Reggie end up in the kitchen, making eggs and toast and bacon for everyone. Even though Julie and Alex had already eaten cereal, it becomes a sort of brunch.

Nick drives by at noon to pick them up. Since their dad and Tia are gone, Julie tells Carlos to grab his Nintendo switch and come with them. The Wilson house has no shortage of Wifi or outlets, so she’s not worried about him being bored.

By the time they pick up Flynn, the car is absolutely packed. Luckily Carrie doesn’t live too far away.

Nick navigates easily through the intense security. All the guards recognize him and wave him through. A few recognize Julie, even though it’s been years since she’s visited.

“Are you sure this is a house?” Reggie asks. “‘Cause it looks like some fancy retreat or country club.”

“Nope, this is Trevor Wilson’s house.”

Nick smiles and switches on the radio. A song that Julie recognizes all too well starts playing. Luke, Alex, and Reggie all scowl.

“They’re not fans?” Nick asks Julie in an undertone. She shakes her head.

Carrie greets them at the door. She acts nonchalant, but Julie knows her well enough to see that she’s pleased. She insists on giving the boys a full tour, which even Carlos tags along on. When they reach the living room, the boys look equally parts pissed and impressed.

Luke drifts over to a wall that’s decked out with framed awards.

“Oh, that’s one of Daddy’s platinum records,” Carrie says helpfully, tossing her hair back a little.

Julie reads over Luke’s shoulder to see that it’s for the song “My Name is Luke.” She reaches out and rubs his back. All his muscles are tense as he stares at it.

“And where is your dad right now?” Reggie asks. He has the same dangerous look as Luke, though his isn’t quite so venomous.

Carrie shrugs. “I don’t know. He goes away a lot. Sometimes to his on-call therapist. Sometimes to yoga and meditation retreats.”

“He still a vegetarian?” Alex asks.

Carrie gives them a strange look. “Yeah, he’s a vegetarian. Though not many people know that.”

None of them answer her. Nick reaches out and grabs the remote. “So, what movie should we start with?” he asks, louder than necessary.

They start with _Elf_. Carlos disappears into the room next to theirs and connects with his friends online. Julie, Flynn, Nick, and Carrie cram on the obscenely large couch with the boys.

Luke and Reggie find the movie hilarious. Alex watches with a sort of disgusted awe, as if he can’t quite believe what he’s witnessing.

Julie glances over at Carrie a lot. Her defenses seem to melt a little. She laughs at the funny parts and at the boys’ reactions, even if only quietly. Julie notices that she’s sitting awfully close to Nick. Julie spent most of their relationship low-key judging Nick for being with Carrie, but she forgets that Carrie isn’t always rude and mean. Carrie used to be kind and fun to be around, even if she was a bit self-centered. She’s probably still that way around Nick.

When the movie ends, Carrie and Nick disappear into the massive pantry and bring out armfuls of snacks. Everyone dives in while Nick puts in The Polar Express. Alex pops over to the other room to offer Carlos some snacks.

The sound of a loud engine cuts through their conversation. A shock of terror runs through Julie as she realizes what it is. She shoots Flynn a panicked look, who instantly understands.

“Oh.” Carrie stands suddenly. “My dad is back. I didn’t think he’d be here until Sunday.”

“You know, he probably wants to spend some quality time with you,” Julie says quickly. “Maybe we should head out.”

“Yeah, we’d hate to infringe on your family time,” Flynn adds.

“You know, I’d actually love to meet him,” Luke says. “I mean, if he has time, since he’s such a rich and famous rockstar.”

Julie glares at Luke, but he stubbornly ignores her. Reggie moves to stand by Luke, in a visual show of support.

“Of course!” Carrie exclaims. “I’m sure he can spare a few minutes.”

Nick glances back and forth between the boys and Julie and Flynn, as if sensing the tension. Julie desperately hopes he chalks it up to what she said in the car about the boys not being fans.

The sound of the engines fades away and an upstairs door slams shut. A minute later, the elevator doors down the hall open and Trevor Wilson comes striding in the room.

He doesn’t see the boys at first. Carrie runs up and gives him a hug. Then he sees Nick and greets him, and then Julie and Flynn. His eyes linger on Julie for an extra second. The last time Julie saw him in person was at her mother’s funeral. She always knew he was good friends with her mother, but she never knew the exact details of their relationship or why they were so close.

Then he looks over at Luke and Reggie and his smile freezes. His face pales.

They stare at each other in silence for a minute. Carrie looks between them.

“Dad? These are the new students at our school, the ones in Julie’s band.”

“Impossible,” he whispers. Without taking his eyes off them, he fumbles around in his pocket for his cell phone. His hands shake and he drops it when he finally digs it out.

Luke steps forward, a smug smile on his face. “Hi. My name is Luke.”

Reggie follows him. “And I’m Reggie, though you may remember me as Crooked Teeth.” Then, to the side, “Man, I still can’t believe that song was always about me.”

Trevor snatches his phone off the ground and runs out of the room. As he’s about to go through the door, he runs straight into Alex. Alex freezes at the sight of him and Trevor backs up against the wall.

“Bobby?” Alex asks. 

Trevor rubs at his eyes. He pinches his arm. He glances back and forth between his bandmates, sweat beading on his brow. His gaze finally settles on Julie, as if silently asking her what’s going on.

Alex recovers quickly. He crosses the room. “Julie, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but we have an even bigger issue.”

“A bigger issue? Than Bobby?” Luke exclaims. “Alex, get your priorities together!”

“I am!” Alex half-turns and points. “The game is here. I think Carlos brought it from home!”

Now Julie’s the one in shock. “Is he in it? Is he gone?”

“I didn’t see him in the room.”

Julie starts for the doorway. Nick grabs her arm.

“Julie, what’s going on?” he asks. “What game are they talking about? And why do they keep calling Carrie’s dad Bobby?”

“I can’t explain right now.” She pushes past him and runs through the door. Luke and Alex are on her heels, and she thinks she can hear Nick following them.

The room is empty. Carlos’ backpack is sitting next to the couch. The TV is off, but Julie sees the game consoles from Jumanji plugged in.

She sinks to her knees, despair overcoming her. Why didn’t they destroy the game when they had the chance? Now her kid brother’s stuck in it and they’re going to have to go after him. And there's no guarantee she'll ever come back.

“Julie? Is everything okay?” Nick asks. He looks utterly confused.

The door on the opposite side of the room opens and Carlos steps in. His eyes go to Julie and he looks just as confused as Nick.

“Julie? _¿Qué pasa?_ ”

She lunges forward and wraps him in a tight hug. The relief running through her veins is like morphine after a surgery. Once she gets her breath back, she steps away and her older sister voice comes out.

“You can’t go through my stuff, Carlos.”

“I didn’t.”

“Then how did you get that game?” Julie demands, pointing to the TV.

“I thought I was going through the boys’ stuff in the garage.” Carlos walks over to the consoles spread out on the TV stand. “Sorry. I didn’t realize it was such a big deal. It’s just a video game.”

“No, it’s not,” Luke says. “Trust me.”

Before Julie can stop him, Carlos reaches down and picks up a controller. “It’s so outdated, anyways. I didn’t even know if it would work.”

The TV suddenly flashes to life. The controller in Carlos’ hand sparks and his entire body flickers before he disappears. 

Julie doesn’t even have time to process her horror before she feels herself being sucked in. The entire world around her spins. For a split second, everything is dark. Then she blinks and she’s surrounded by jungle plants and sounds.

It feels different than last time. Julie glances around and sees the snake slithering its way through the brush. The ground shakes slightly beneath her and she sees four other Avatars land next to her. A fifth is standing in front of her, their back turned.

Julie can’t even feel relief that she recognizes the surroundings. All she feels is the dread that settles in deep in her stomach as she glances around at the all-too-familiar scenery of Jumanji.


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All rights belong to the creators and writers of Julie and the Phantoms (2020). I take no credit, and I do not mean to break any copyright rules. This is simply a work of fiction made for enjoyment. No money is being made.
> 
> Rating: K+

**Chapter 28**

“Who are you?”

Julie turns to see the figure in front of her turn around. She stumbles back a step in surprise. She doesn’t recognize this Avatar - it’s a man with dark hair, dark eyes, and wearing all black. Julie can see the glint of a knife hanging from his belt.

“Who are you?” she shoots back. “It’s me, Julie.”

“You’re definitely not my sister,” he says.

“Carlos?”

Before he can answer, there’s a loud gasping sound from behind Julie. She turns to see the Avatar Chet Livingston keel over, his hands braced on his knees as he hyperventilates.

“No, no, no,” he mumbles under his breath. “This is all just some sort of weird dream. Maybe someone drugged your coffee on the plane. I just need to breathe through it. It’s just another nightmare. Soon I’ll wake up and I can talk to my therapist.”

So that’s definitely not Alex. But if it’s not Alex, then who…

“Hold up.” Julie hears a familiar sounding voice and turns to see no other than Rebecca Cho standing across from her. She barely has time to think, _wait! That’s me!_ before the Avatar continues speaking. “I think we have different Avatars this time. Who is who? I’m Alex.”

“I have the same Avatar,” Arizona Johnson - aka Luke - says. “Julie? Where are you?”

She steps forward. “I’m right here.” She glances down at her body and realizes that she inherited Reggie’s old Avatar - the red-headed female fighter Scarlet Fox. She motions to her side. “The new Avatar is Carlos.”

Flynn’s old Avatar, the white frat boy Brad Wilson, glances around wildly. Julie can tell by body language alone that it isn’t Flynn, but she has no idea who it is.

“What’s going on?” he asks. “Where are we? How did we get here? Who are you guys?”

“We just told you,” Luke says. “It’s me, Luke. That’s Alex, Julie and Carlos. Who are you?”

“I’m - I’m Nick.” His eyes end up on Julie, though he appraises her suspiciously. “Julie?”

“Yeah.” She starts walking towards Chet Livingston, a bad feeling growing in her stomach. She stands in front of him. He covers his head, as if willing himself not to see her. “Mr. Wilson? Is that you?”

He uncovers his face. “How do you know who I am? No, wait- this is just a dream. Just a figment of my imagination. It’s not real.”

Julie reaches out and sets her hand on his arm. “I’m sorry, Mr. Wilson, but this is real. I know it’s a lot to process, but you’re not dreaming or under the influence of drugs.”

He jerks away from her touch. “Not real, not real,” he repeats under his breath.

Julie straightens up and shoots Luke a look. “We need to get out of here as quickly as possible,” she says. “The longer we’re here, the more time Caleb has to destroy us.”

“Caleb? Who’s that?” Nick asks. He edges away from them. “I don’t understand.”

Julie walks over and grasps his arms. “We’re stuck in a video game. We all have different Avatars. We have to beat the game to escape. There’s an evil guy named Caleb who started all of this. The bearded guy will explain.”

Nick looks even more confused than ever, but they don’t have time to waste. Julie hears the sound of an engine. To her surprise, it’s coming from the sky.

“What’s that?” Carlos asks. Julie follows his arm and sees the red smoke streaming out the back of a small plane flying overhead. It’s slowly declining. Julie can just make out the face of the pilot.

“He’s in a plane this time?” she exclaims. “Come on, we have to follow him!”

She grabs Nick’s arm as she passes and pulls him along behind her. She hears the sound of protests as Luke does the same for Trevor. Carlos and Alex fall in between them. They run until they reach the edge of the forest. The plane lands on the grassy plains ahead of them.

“Get in!” the bearded man shouts, leaning out the window and waving his arm. Julie doesn’t hesitate before climbing in the back. The others follow, Luke nearly throwing Trevor in.

The man takes off as soon as everyone is in. 

“Scarlet Fox, welcome to Jumanji,” he says, catching Julie's eye in the mirror. “We are once again in need of your assistance.”

“Again?” Luke asks.

“Arizona Johnson, welcome to Jumanji,” the bearded man says. “We are once again in need of your assistance. Your oldest nemesis, Caleb Covington the Conquerer, has brought his armies down from the north to invade the peaceful villages of Jumanji.”

“My nemesis?”

The bearded man nods sadly. “Yes, it was Caleb who murdered your parents and drove a wedge between you and the woman you loved. This mission is personal.”

“So what’s the quest?” Alex asks, leaning forward in his seat.

“Rebecca Cho, welcome to Jumanji. We are once again in need of your assistance. Caleb Covington the Conquerer has brought his armies down from the north to invade the peaceful villages of Jumanji. He has united the clans of the north using the power from an ancient amethyst. In order to scatter his forces and save Jumanji, you must take the amethyst from him. He keeps it in his northern stronghold, Ghost Fortress. You must travel there and find a way to steal it.”

“Oh, so Caleb’s like the big boss,” Carlos says. “I get it. We just have to defeat him to win the game.”

“Dakota Darkling, welcome to Jumanji. We are once again in need of your assistance…”

As the bearded man goes through his spiel again, Nick leans over to Julie. “Why does he keep repeating the same thing?”

“He’s an NPC - a non-player character. He only has a certain number of lines.” She pauses. “Do you understand what’s going on now?”

Nick shakes his head. “Sort of, and not at all. How is this possible? And how are you so calm about it?”

“Because I’ve been here before. It’s a long story.”

Underneath them, the jungles and plains Julie is used to seeing disappears and turns into arid desert. While their journey across Jumanji took them east last time, now they’re heading due north into lands unknown.

“This is where I must let you go,” the bearded man calls back. “The fate of Jumanji is in your hands!”

"Let us go where?" Alex asks. "We're a hundred feet in the a- "

The doors to the plane fly open. Their seatbelts automatically unlatch. Julie doesn’t even have time to scream before they’re all unceremoniously ejected.

They tumble through the air for a few terrifying seconds before hitting the sand dunes. Julie rolls about ten feet, sand getting everywhere. She curses the short shorts and crop top of her new Avatar. For all the flak she gave Rebecca Cho, she’d kill a man to switch back now.

They all gather together in the middle of the desert. Even Trevor and Nick, who are obviously still extremely disoriented, have already learned to follow their lead.

“This is awesome!” Carlos exclaims. He does a cartwheel that turns into a handspring that turns into a backflip and sticks the landing. “I had no idea they made such good VR!”

“This isn’t VR,” Julie shoots back. “This is real. We’re literally in the video game right now.”

“That’s even cooler!”

“No, it’s not. We can die.” Alex’s voice is hard. He turns to the others. “We all have three lives. The third death is final. Game over.”

“How is this possible?” Nick repeats.

“We don’t know. All we know is that Caleb is the one behind this all. He’s not just the villain in the game, he’s a real person who set this whole thing up.” Julie motions with her arms.

“You said you’ve been here before,” Nick says.

“Yeah, I got sucked into the game a few weeks ago. Except I can come and go.”

Trevor raises a shaking hand. For the first time since they landed, he addresses Luke.

“That’s where you went twenty five years ago,” he says. His eyes dart over to Alex. “You guys got stuck in the game when I went to flirt with Rose.”

“Wait, Rose? As in, my mom? You guys dated?”

Trevor shakes his head. “We were just friends. That was the night we met, the night we were going to play the Orpheum. Except Luke, Alex, and Reggie disappeared.”

“That’s exactly what happened,” Luke agrees. “And then you stole our music and didn’t give us any credit. You’re living it up in a super mansion while Reggie’s parents lost their house and had to move and my parents are still living in a tiny house in a beaten down neighborhood. You took my life’s work and plastered your name on it and erased my legacy!”

Luke is towering over him now. Trevor quivers. He doesn’t look scared so much as broken. For the first time, Julie thinks about Trevor’s perspective. His three best friends disappeared on the night of their biggest performance. If his background is like the others’, then they were his only family. He lost everyone he cared about in one fell swoop.

Did he blame himself for not being there with them when it happened? Did other people around him blame him? He was probably a suspect in the case. Maybe that’s why he had to change his name, to escape that legacy. Maybe playing their music is the only way he felt connected to them again, like Julie with her mom.

It doesn’t excuse all his actions, but it does take away a lot of Julie’s anger towards him.

“Luke,” she says, stepping forward and touching his arm. “Let’s not do this right here. We need to keep moving.”

“She’s right,” Alex says. He has the map pulled out in front of him. “We need to get out of this desert before we die from dehydration.”

Alex sets off, Carlos at his heels, and the others glance at each other before following.

A few sand dunes later, Carlos shouts out excitedly. When the others reach the top, they see a junkyard of vehicles in the dip ahead of them. Carlos streaks forward, tearing across the sand.

“This is the part of the game where we get to choose our vehicles!” he exclaims. He picks up a half-buried motorcycle. “This. I like this.”

“Except that won’t get you very far on sand,” Julie says. “Come on. There are a couple of dune buggies over here.”

They dig out the dune buggies from the sand. The tense silence of an uneasy treaty has fallen over the group. Julie knows that as soon as they’re in a relatively safe place, the lid is going to blow and there'll be hell to pay. For now, they’re just trying to get out of the desert.

“Uh, guys?” Nick shades his eyes with a hand. “What’s that?”

They all turn to see him facing south, the direction they’d come from. A huge cloud of dust has gathered on the horizon and is blowing their way.

“It’s a sandstorm,” Trevor says. It takes Julie a minute to remember that his character specializes in nature. “If we don’t get moving, we’ll all be buried.”

“Let’s go!” Luke slides behind the wheel of one dune buggy. Julie climbs in next to him and Nick slides in the backseat. Carlos gets in the driver’s seat of the second one and Bobby and Alex pile in.

The cloud of sand is gaining on them even as they start tearing across the sand in the opposite direction. Julie watches the progress from the rearview mirror. It grows bigger and bigger with each passing second.

“We’re not going to be able to outrun this!” she shouts over the wind.

“We have to try!” Luke shouts back.

The sand cloud is only a hundred yards behind them when Luke suddenly hits the brakes. Julie opens her mouth to ask when suddenly they skid to a halt right next to the edge of a canyon. A few feet away, Carlos’ buggy does the same.

Alex exits his buggie and runs over to them. “We need to get down to the canyon!” he says. “The route on the map follows the river below!”

Julie and Luke instantly turn to Nick. He watches them with wide eyes. Julie opens his door and hauls him out. The sandstorm is dangerously close now.

“We have to climb down the canyon!”

Nick takes one look over the edge and his face turns green. “I can’t climb down that!”

“Yes, you can! It’s your Avatar’s special ability!”

Nick looks lost and terrified. Julie turns him around and digs through his backpack until she finds a few coils of rope. She shoves them in his hands.

“Tie those around whatever will hold out weight up here! Hurry!” Nick doesn’t move. Julie sighs. “Do you trust me, Nick?”

After a second that lasts an eternity, he nods. As he begins tying the ropes, the others gather near the edge of the cliff.

Nick ties the last coil of rope and throws it down. Julie doesn’t hesitate before grabbing one and starting to shimmy down. Carlos and Luke are the first ones to follow. Trevor is the last, and only when the clouds of sand reach the edge and start beating against him.

The descent isn’t nearly as long as the one from the first game. Scarlet Fox is stronger than Rebecca Cho and it makes the task almost easy. She drops down onto the dusty ground and waits for the others.

Everyone makes it. Trevor drops the last ten feet, but other than a slight twist in his ankle he’s alright. Alex pulls out his map and they begin following the river.

When night falls, they find a protected area under a ledge and pull out the supplies from their backpack to make a small camp. Alex scavenges enough brush and wood to make a small fire.

They eat a miserable fare of some portable rations found in Trevor’s bag. Luke and Alex are sitting on one side of the fire, purposefully ignoring Trevor. Carlos is quietly checking out all the hidden pockets on his Avatar, pulling out all sorts of tricks and tools.

Nick left the circle a few minutes ago, and Julie can just vaguely see his shadow pacing along the river. In real life, he always acts so cool and confident. She’s never seen him freaked out like this before.

“I’m going to go check on him,” she says, standing up and leaving the camp.

The lights of a full moon shines down upon them. Julie watches the rippled reflection in the slow moving waters of the river for a moment. As awful as Jumanji is, she forgot how beautiful it could be as well, how peaceful.

“I’ve never seen the stars so clearly,” Nick says, his face turned upward.

“Me neither.” Julie watches him for a minute before saying, “You shouldn’t be out here alone. Jumanji is dangerous.”

“I know. I’m just…” He lifts his arms up slightly. “I’m just kinda freaking out. I needed some fresh air and space.”

“It’s a lot to take in,” Julie agrees. “The worst part is that no one will ever believe you. In the real world, I mean.”

Nick finally looks over at her. “The game itself is crazy, but that’s not what’s really freaking me out. At least, not right now.”

“What is it, then?”

He glances over at the fire, where the others are sitting. “Carrie’s dad knew Luke, Alex, and Reggie from the moment he saw them. And when they were fighting, they said they were stuck in this game for twenty five years…” His eyes turn back to Julie. “How old are they, really?”

“They’re seventeen. Well, Luke just turned eighteen a couple weeks ago.”

Nick’s eyes are intense enough that she’s tempted to look away. “But they were stuck in the game for twenty five years.”

“Time doesn’t work the same in the game. For them, it was only a month.”

“So by the time we get out of here, years will have gone by?”

Julie shakes her head. “It doesn’t always work like that. When I played the game for the first time, it worked in my favor. A few days in the game was only a few hours in real life. Not always, but most of the time.”

“How long did it take you to beat it last time?”

“We had to restart the game twice, so it took almost a month.” Julie shivers as she remembers the mountain range, which took them over a week to cross just by itself. “I have the ability to come in and out of the game. If I pause it, the time in the game pauses as well.”

“So why couldn’t the boys just pause it, leave the game, and never come back?”

Julie shakes her head. “You misunderstand - I _alone_ have the ability to come and go in the game. The boys are stuck here until they finish the game.”

“That’s why you were so tired at school a few weeks ago. You were staying up all night to play the game.”

She nods. “I kept coming and going. I thought we were done with the game forever. I should have destroyed it. I just...didn’t have the heart.”

“You didn’t have the heart to destroy a game that threatens people’s lives?”

Nick’s tone isn’t aggressive or angry, just incredulous. Honestly, he’s taking things better than Julie expected. Maybe he’s still in shock and the truth hasn’t quite settled in yet.

“Luke, Alex, and Reggie weren’t the only ones stuck in the game,” she says. “There’s another guy. His name is Willie. He’s been stuck here since he was a kid - so I have no idea how long he’s been here in real world years. When we won the game, he didn’t get spit back out with us. If we destroyed the game, it would be like destroying all hope that he could ever escape....It would be like destroying _him_."

“So even if we win, there’s no guarantee that the game will let us go?”

“Willie is different. He made a deal with Caleb - the man who created this game. Because of that deal, he couldn’t leave with us. But he broke the deal, so things are different this time.”

Nick is quiet for a minute, his face neutral as the information sinks in. Julie looks back up at the stars, giving him the time and space he needs to process it all.

“So how do the boys know Carrie’s dad?” Nick finally asks. “Luke seemed really angry with him. And he seemed...scared.”

“If you haven’t already guessed, the boys aren’t actually from Sweden. They were born and raised here in L.A., like us. Luke, Alex, and Reggie were in a band with Trevor before they got sucked into the game. His name was Bobby back then. After they disappeared, he...he stole their music and recorded it under the name of Trevor Wilson.”

Nick’s eyes slowly grow with shock and horror. “So all of Trevor Wilson’s music...is actually your band’s music?”

“Not all, just the good stuff. The first two albums. And most of it was written entirely by Luke.” Julie smiles faintly. “Does ‘My Name is Luke’ make more sense now?”

Nick looks like he might be sick. “So all this time I’ve been a fan of Trevor Wilson’s music...I was actually a fan of Luke?”

Julie reaches over and sets her hand on his arm comfortingly. “Join the club.”

He takes a deep breath and rubs at his face. “I still can’t believe this is really happening. I think I’m going to try and get some sleep. With any luck, I’ll wake up and this will all be some sort of strange dream.”

Julie watches him go. She remembers when she thought the same way. Now, all she can think about is how to move forward and beat the game again.


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All rights belong to the creators and writers of Julie and the Phantoms (2020). I take no credit, and I do not mean to break any copyright rules. This is simply a work of fiction made for enjoyment. No money is being made.
> 
> Rating: K+

**Chapter 29**

One moment, everyone is in the house. Julie, Luke, Alex, and Nick run into the room where Carlos was. Bobby is leaning against the wall. Carrie and Flynn are still in the main room with Reggie, waiting to hear the verdict on Carlos.

Then they hear Julie and Carlos’ voices. A sigh of relief runs through the room for everyone except Bobby. He still looks half-way to a heart attack.

Then there’s a flash of green light and all the voices fade. Reggie glances around the room and sees Carrie and Flynn standing where they were, rubbing their eyes and blinking. Bobby is gone. Reggie runs to the other room to see that everyone else is gone as well, not a single trace left behind.

He already knows what’s happened even before he sees the old game controllers on the floor. He sinks to his knees and reaches out for them with shaking hands. When he touches them, nothing happens.

“Are they - ?” Flynn can’t finish the question. Reggie can only nod.

“Are they what? Where did everyone go?” Carrie barges in after Flynn. “And why was my dad acting so weird?”

Neither Reggie nor Flynn can answer her. Reggie can barely lift his head. The weight of the loss pulls him down.

They’re gone. Alex and Luke and Julie and even Bobby are gone. Carlos, too. They’re gone, and Reggie is left behind.

Not again. Reggie’s already lost one family, dysfunctional as they may have been. He can’t do this again. He can’t lose them again. Why couldn’t he have been sucked in like them? Why was he left behind?

Flynn sets a heavy hand on his shoulder. He can’t look up; his eyes are blurred.

“Flynn? Seriously, you guys are scaring me.” Carrie walks in front of them and sets her hands on her hips. “What’s going on?” Her voice softens. “Are you...crying?”

“There’s no way to explain.” Flynn sighs. “I’m just gonna say it. They’re stuck in the video game.”

Carrie’s face freezes. It takes her a few seconds before she lets out a short laugh. “That’s not - that’s not possible. Seriously, where did they all go?”

“In the video game,” Flynn repeats. “It’s not a normal game. It’s controlled by this guy named Caleb with special powers. I don’t know how it works, but I’ve experienced it myself. Reggie and I have both been in it before.”

Carrie backs away from them, shaking her head slowly. “I’m going to look around the house,” she says slowly. “And maybe I’ll book a therapy session for the two of you. My dad has a really good therapist.”

“She’s telling the truth.” Reggie climbs to his feet. “I can prove it.”

“You can?” Flynn asks, her eyes darting over to him.

Reggie keeps his gaze on Carrie. “Did your dad ever tell you about this band he was part of when he was your age?”

“Uh, yeah. It was like...Sunset Turn or Sunset Curb. But that was twenty five years ago.”

Reggie nods. “Does he have any pictures from the band? Or their demo album?”

“Yes, but what does that have to do with the game?”

“Show us a picture,” Reggie insists. Carrie disappears and returns a few minutes later with an old picture. The four members of Sunset Curve are standing in front of their music studio. It was the day they moved into what is now Julie’s garage. Luke has one arm slung over Bobby’s shoulder and one over Reggie’s. Alex is holding his sticks in his hand and looking over at them, a laugh frozen on his face.

Carrie’s face is pale as she walks back in, her eyes glued to it. When she looks up at Reggie, there’s fear in her eyes.

“It’s not possible,” she says, repeating the same thing her father said just a few minutes earlier. “I thought you guys looked familiar but - this was back in the nineties. You can’t possibly be - ”

“Did your dad ever tell you what happened to us?” Reggie asks. “It was the night of our Orpheum performance. He went upstairs to flirt with a girl. Luke, Alex, and I were in the basement when we found this video game. We got sucked in. For us, only a month passed before Julie got sucked into the game. It wasn’t until we escaped that we found out it was actually twenty five years.”

Carrie shakes her head. “No. That can’t be true. It’s not possible.”

“It is,” Flynn says gently. “Julie got me sucked into the game with them. Once you’re in, the only way to get out is to beat the game.”

The other girl takes a few deep breaths. When she finally speaks, her voice is measured and even. “So if this were true - and I’m not saying I believe you - it could be years until they escape?”

“Maybe, maybe not. When Julie and I went in, time worked the opposite way - days in the game were only hours in the real world. Julie also had the ability to enter and exit the game at will.”

“So she’ll exit and let us know what’s going on then, right?” Carrie asks. 

“Unless the rules changed.” Reggie hates to give voice to the doubts and fears in his heart, but he refuses to let them fall for false hope. “Remember what Willie said about Caleb changing the game?”

“Who’s Willie? And who’s Caleb?”

Flynn waves her off and turns to Reggie. “So the game might not be the same as it was when we were in…”

“Think about it. There were five of us, plus Willie, the first time. This time the game sucked in six people - Luke, Alex, Bobby, Julie, Carlos, and Nick. Assuming Willie is still in there, that means there’s another avatar in play.”

“Which implies that the game itself has changed,” Flynn continues. She slaps her leg. “Damn. They could be in there for days, or weeks. What are we going to tell Ray and Victoria and Nick’s parents?”

“What about the press?” Carrie demands. “My dad is an important person. If he goes missing, the media will be all over us!”

“We can’t have that, because Reggie doesn’t technically exist,” Flynn says. “Okay. We have to make up a believable cover story for your dad. We’ll have to tell Ray and Victoria the truth and hope they don’t put us in a crazy house. If they believe us, they can cover for Julie and the boys.”

“What about Nick?” Carrie asks. “His dads are going to freak.”

“You dated Nick for over a year, can’t you come up with an excuse? Tell them you guys got back together and he’s staying over here or something.”

“That might work for a weekend, but not once school starts again.” Carrie presses her fingers to her temples. “I cannot believe this is happening. For the record, I still don’t believe in this whole video game thing.”

“Then don’t believe. Just trust us.”

Carrie shakes her head. “I can’t believe this is my life now.”

Reggie can’t believe it’s his life, either, though for completely different reasons. Yesterday was probably the best day of his life. He’d been surrounded by a loving, warm, and welcoming family. Now he’s lost everyone.

Reggie’s never been a religious person, but for the first time in his life he seriously prays to whatever god or deity might be out there. He prays for his family for come safely back to him.

-

When Julie wakes up in the morning, she’s surprised to see that she’s still in the game. It’s not the first time that it’s happened, where she slept and didn't get booted out - the entire week long journey through the mountains had her drifting in and out of consciousness at times - but it’s still a surprise. Neither Nick nor Carlos nor Bobby were also kicked out, either.

Luke and Alex pack up the meager camp. Down in the canyon, by the water, the air is a bit cooler, especially without any direct sun. Julie wraps her arm around her arms and huddles in on herself. She remembers that Reggie borrowed Alex’s shirt when he was in this Avatar, but she’s not about to ask Trevor Wilson for his shirt. The poor man is traumatized already.

Although, she reasons, he is partly at fault for his own trauma. Had he not stolen Sunset Curve’s music, he wouldn’t be so terrified of the boys’ return. He might still be shocked and in disbelief, but he might also be happy and relieved.

When everything is packed up, they gather around in a loose circle. No one has spoken much this morning; the tension between everyone is too high. Even for Luke, Alex, and Julie, who have been in the game before, there’s the curse of knowledge. They know how dangerous the game can be. They know what it’s like to die, what it’s like to be on their last lives. The others are still learning to accept the truth of their new reality.

“You should all check your stats before we go,” Julie says. “Each Avatar has a unique skill set. We’ll need the different abilities for the challenges we’ll face.”

Luke demonstrates how to swipe to pull up the stat box. “See, my character is Arizona Johnson and - ” He breaks off suddenly.

“What is it?” Julie asks.

“This isn’t the same as it was last time. Look.”

_Arizona Johnson  
Speed: 5/5  
Strength: 5/5  
Endurance: 5/5  
Abilities: leadership, intelligence, fighting   
Weaknesses: water, Esperanza Vazquez_

“Who is Esperanza Vazquez?” Alex asks.

“I have no idea.”

“I wonder if all our stats are changed.” Alex swipes for his chart.

_Rebecca Cho  
Strength: 3/5   
Speed: 4/5   
Endurance: 4/5   
Abilities: cartographer, nature_

“You lost the medic ability,” Julie says. “So no bringing anyone back to life.” Her eyes instantly dart over to Luke, remembering how she saved him when he was about to die his final death. No chance of that happening this time.

“But I also gained a speed point,” Alex points out.

Carlos swipes at his eagerly. He still hasn’t lost his enthusiasm for this whole situation. “Cool! I think I definitely have the best character.”

They all look at his stats, interested to see who the new avatar is.

_Dakota Darkling  
Strength: 4/5  
Speed: 5/5   
Endurance: 5/5   
Abilities: spying, killing, stealing  
Weakness: light_

“Out of all the Avatars, why did my little brother have to end up with that one?” Julie groans.

“We’ll need him once we get to the fortress,” Alex says. “I’m guessing he’ll be the one to steal the jewel from Caleb while Luke distracts him.”

“Why me?” Luke complains.

“Because the whole backstory thing. Caleb’s your nemesis or whatever in this version of the game.”

Nick swipes at his stats. 

_Brad Wilson  
Strength: 4/5   
Speed: 4/5   
Endurance: 4/5   
Abilities: climbing  
Weakness: snakes_

“The snakes are new,” Julie says. She glances over at Nick, but he doesn’t say anything, just reads it silently. 

“Bobby, you’re up,” Luke says. There’s a slight edge to his voice still. “C’mon, we don’t have all day.”

Trevor slowly brings up his hand and swipes. 

_Chet Livingston  
Strength: 3/5   
Speed: 3/5   
Endurance: 3/5   
Abilities: zoologist, tracking, nature, linguistics_

“Linguistics is new,” Alex says. “I wonder when we’ll need that.”

“I guess it’s just me now,” Julie says. Her chart pops up in front of her.

_Scarlet Fox  
Strength: 4/5   
Speed: 5/5   
Endurance: 4/5   
Abilities: fighting, berserker mode  
Weakness: heights, ice_

“The ice weakness is new. That’s anno - ” Her heart seizes up when she looks over to the side of the box. She punches in the air, but there’s no answer. She punches again and again, and nothing.

Luke walks over and grabs her hands, calming her down. “Julie, what is it?”

“My menu is gone. I don’t - I don’t have control over the game anymore.”

“Maybe I have it,” Alex says. “Since you were Rebecca Cho last time.”

Julie doesn’t have any hope, so she’s not surprised when Alex doesn’t find one. He goes around and makes the others check as well, but no one has a menu button. They’re all stuck in the game completely this time.

“You know what this means,” she says quietly, leaning heavily into Luke. “We only have one try. Three lives, and one try. We’re going in blind, and we have no room for error.”

“I know,” he says quietly, his arms tightening around her.

On that happy note, they start off again. Alex and Luke lead the way, Carlos at their heels asking them countless questions. The bounce in his step does not match his avatar’s brooding face at all. Julie hangs back with Nick and Trevor, explaining how they escaped last time and answering any other questions they might have. Neither of them are talkative, but Julie has to make sure they know what’s going on. They can’t afford for one of them to make a stupid mistake because no one told them otherwise.

They hike along the canyon river all day. At lunch, they stop long enough to get something to eat. Julie follows Luke when he walks over to the river’s edge to wash his hands and refill his canteen.

“I’m really worried about Nick and Trevor,” she says, keeping her voice low so she’s not overheard. “I think they’re in shock.”

“What can we do?” 

“You avatar has leadership abilities, right? Can’t you give them a reassuring speech or something?”

Luke reaches down, cups water in his hand, and splashes it against the back of his neck. "It’s not something I know how to control. Besides, the last thing I want to do is talk to Bobby. He can die in here for all I care.”

Julie leans away. “You don’t mean that.”

Luke’s jaw is clenched. He stares straight ahead. “You saw my parents. You know how much they’ve suffered over the past twenty five years. I don’t care that Bobby used our music, I care that he pretended like we never existed. My parents wouldn’t have suffered the way they did if he’d given me proper credit.”

“Luke, you have no idea what he went through. He was seventeen years old and he lost everyone he cared about. How would you have reacted?”

“And I was seventeen and stuck in a video game that was trying to kill me!”

“But you weren’t alone. You had Alex and Reggie. Bobby had no one, except apparently my mom, who he only met that night. Put yourself in his shoes for just a minute.”

His voice and eyes are cold when he looks over at her and responds. “Are you on his side?”

She sighs and shakes her head. “No, I’m just asking that you talk to him and give him a chance to explain. What he did wasn’t okay, but maybe there’s more to the story. You won’t find peace about it until you know exactly what happened.”

One minute Luke is staring at her, a look of pure betrayal on his face. The next, a massive crocodile explodes out of the river, snapping its large jaws around Luke. Julie screams and scrambles back. The animal slides back into the river and disappears under the water.

The others rush around her. “What happened?” Alex cries.

Julie can only point, a hand covering her mouth in horror. A few seconds later, Luke falls from the sky. He lands in a crouched position and slowly stands up. On his wrist is a black tally.

“Stupid water weakness,” he curses.

“Did he just...die?” Nick asks, his eyes wide.

“How did it feel?” Carlos asks, popping up next to him. “Does it hurt?”

Luke gives him a look. “I just got eaten by a giant crocodile. What do you think?”

Carlos purses his lips. “Interesting.”

Julie pulls Luke a few steps away from the river. “We should keep moving. This canyon is a disaster waiting to happen. Alex, how far are we from the next checkpoint?”

“Not too far. We should reach it by tomorrow night, if we keep up our pace.”

“Good. Let’s keep going.”

Luke hardly looks at her as they sling their backpacks on and get started. It hurts a little, but Julie doesn’t regret what she said. She knows she’s right. Luke is being blinded by his anger. Until he can learn to push through it and at least have a civilized conversation with Trevor, he’ll never get past it.

She hopes he figures it out sooner rather than later. She doesn’t like the tension between their group. If they can’t work together, they won’t make it out of the video game. Last time it took them several tries even with them working together. Now they don’t have the luxury of restarting.

Alex and Luke distance themselves from the others and walk several paces ahead, talking intensely in low tones. Julie both hopes and dreads they’re talking about Trevor. Alex is more rational than Luke, and she believes he could talk some sense into him, but she’s also worried because she knows Alex is still upset with him, too. The only reason Alex isn’t going off right now is because he’s trying to escape the game first. And though he hasn’t mentioned it, she knows he’s also preoccupied with thinking about Willie.

Julie didn’t want to say anything, but she has a bad feeling that the emergence of Carlos’ avatar means that Willie might no longer be in the game. She hopes she’s wrong, but considering Alex’s nightmare and what they know Caleb to be capable of, she wouldn’t be surprised if the worst turns out to be true.

For Alex’s - and Willie’s - sake, she hopes she’s wrong.


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All rights belong to the creators and writers of Julie and the Phantoms (2020). I take no credit, and I do not mean to break any copyright rules. This is simply a work of fiction made for enjoyment. No money is being made.
> 
> Rating: K+

**Chapter 30**

The first checkpoint on the map is a village not unlike the one from the last time they were in Jumanji. This village is more like a trading outpost than a town, though; a market is set up in the main square and small vendor tents bleed out into side streets and alleys. It’s a lot more crowded and their group finds themselves pressing close together to avoid being separated.

Julie spots dangerous looking men and women in the alleys. When they catch her staring, they pull back their jackets to reveal weapons tucked into their belts. Julie quickly looks away.

The noise of buyers and sellers shouting as they bargain floods through the air. There’s also a faint sound of music that grows louder as they approach a building that looks similar to the tavern from the first time. By unspoken consent, they head inside.

Jazz music is playing. Men wearing suits and women wearing what appears to be flapper dresses with short wigs and boas dance around the stage area. The tavern is packed with NPCs and online players alike. Their group weaves through the room, finally finding free space at the bar.

The song ends and there’s some scattered applause. Julie doesn’t think twice until she hears a familiar voice speak into the microphone that makes her blood run cold.

“Thank you for all being here tonight. I see we have some special guests in the audience.”

Julie, Alex, and Luke stare straight at the stage as the other players move to the sides, creating a tunnel of unobstructed view that leads straight from them to the stage. Nick and Trevor look around in confusion. Carlos isn’t even paying attention; he’s too busy trying to convince the bartender to serve him.

“We met under very different circumstances the last time they were in Jumanji,” the man at the mic continues. “They were trying to undermine me, and I must admit that they succeeded.”

Caleb Covington is dressed similarly to the first time they saw him: in all black and purple, with a top hat and a dramatic black cape. His dark hair is swept to one side, and his ever-present smile dominates his face.

“I had a feeling they would come back. When they left last time, they left one of their friends behind. The poor boy has been through quite the ordeal. I fear there isn’t much left of him to save.” Caleb tuts sadly. “But there is still a chance, if they make it to my fortress. Of course, I can’t guarantee that anything won’t happen to him if they stir up too much trouble.”

Julie feels her hands clenching into fists at her side. From the corner of her eye, she can see Alex leaning forward.

“Life in Jumanji can be great. I don’t know why everyone is in such a rush to leave. Making friends with me is really in their best interests.” He raises his arms. “I control everything. I can make this place a paradise or a living hell. It’s really up to the players themselves what happens.” He sighs. “Well, folks, that’s all I have for the night. Remember to tell your friends to join you next time!”

He steps off the stage and the spell is broken. Conversations erupt in the tavern and the clear aisle closes up. Alex lunges forward and Luke grabs him, holding him back.

“Let me go!” he protests, straining against Luke’s arms. “He has Willie! He was threatening him!”

“I know,” Luke says gently. “But Willie isn’t here and the only way to rescue him is to get him out of the fortress and win the game. We can’t do that here.”

“If I get my hands on Caleb - ”

“Then Willie will suffer. Caleb is all-powerful here.” Luke slowly releases Alex as the other boy slumps. “As much as it sucks, we have to play the game his way. It’s the only way to win.”

Julie reaches out for him. “We’ll rescue him, Alex. I promise you. We’re not going to leave him behind again.”

Alex looks exhausted as he leans against the bar. Julie has never seen him so sad. She wonders how much of his sadness he’d been hiding in the real world over the last few weeks.

“Who was that?” Nick finally asks. “And is Willie the guy you were telling me about the other day? The one who was trapped in the game for years?”

Julie nods. “The first man was Caleb Covington. He’s the villain we have to beat - and he’s also the one behind the game. Willie is the same one I told you about.”

“Willie warned me,” Alex says, his voice hoarse. “In my dream. That was real, somehow. He knew Caleb was going to bring us back in.”

“But why?” Luke demands. “Why does he want us so badly?”

“I think we’re the first ones who have escaped the game,” Julie says quietly. “I don’t think anyone has ever beaten it before. And I had power over the game last time.”

“We’re threats to him,” Alex finishes. “He didn’t like that we escaped him the first time. This version of the game is going to be harder than last time.”

It doesn’t quite add up. Julie is sure that their success has something to do with it, but there has to be more. Why else would Caleb be so obsessed with keeping them here? And what had he said in his speech, about how Jumanji could be a paradise if they just cooperated?

She remembers when she first met the boys. They were playing in the tavern, and though they weren’t happy about being stuck in the game, they had found a place where they were content. They could still play their music, they weren’t in fear of losing their lives, and Willie was their friend. Is that the cooperation Caleb means?

She has no idea for sure. All she knows is that they have to defeat this game as quickly as possible. She doesn’t want to win only to find out that they’re emerging twenty years in the future.

Carlos decides in this moment to turn around, a cocktail in his hand. He slurps loudly from it. “So, guys? What’s our next move?”

Julie reaches over and takes the drink from him. She shuts down his protests with a stern look.

“The next section of the map should be unveiled now. Alex?”

He pulls out the map and spreads it in front of himself. “We have this area, which looks arid but not desert. Then we have a forest and it leads to the base of the northern mountains.” His long fingers drift over the yellow path. “I’m sure the last unmarked section is Ghost Fortress.” His voice tightens. “Where he’s holding Willie.”

He rolls up the map and pushes away from the bar. The others follow him, Carlos pausing to take one last sip from his cocktail before leaving.

Outside, the night air is cool. Julie shivers and wraps her arms around herself. She once again curses this avatar for its clothing choices.

Luke glances back and notices. Even though he’s been low-key avoiding her since their argument the other day, he still slips off his overshirt and drapes it over her shoulders, leaving him in just a sleeveless white shirt. It’s not quite the same as his cut-off shirts, but it reminds her a lot of him from the real world.

“Thanks,” she says, slipping her arms into the sleeves. She remembers how he had cut off the sleeves in the last game and is thankful that he didn’t do that here.

Luke’s eyes linger on her for a minute. He nods and turns around to continue following Alex. Julie doesn’t like this distance between them. The first time she’d asked the boys to let Trevor go, they’d done it immediately. Why can’t they do it now?

Probably because he’s with them now and the elephant in the room can no longer be ignored. She remembers the football game and the boys’ interest in Carrie when she told them who her dad was and she realizes that they had never truly let it go, they’d only pushed it to the back of their minds for the time being.

Alex leads them through the trading post town. As they pass through the main square, which is finally starting to wind down for the night, a woman in a bright red dress steps out of a doorway. She glances back and forth and her eyes settle on Luke.

She steps onto the cobblestone street in front of them. Her eyes are wide.

“Arizona Johnson?” she gasps. 

Luke gives her a strange look. “I think you’re mistaken. I’m not - ”

She rushes forward and throws her arms around him before kissing him. Luke freezes, his arms mid-air. Julie finds herself crossing her arms over her chest, unable to tamper down her irritation. Whoever this woman is, she hates her.

When the woman finally pulls away, her bright red lipstick is smeared on his face. The expression on Luke’s face is like a deer caught in the headlights.

“I can’t believe you’ve returned after all these years!” she exclaims, her hands feeling up and down his arms. “I thought Caleb had driven us apart forever!”

Alex steps forward. “Who are you?”

The woman looks shocked. She glances over at Luke and then back at Alex. “Arizona didn’t tell you about me? I am Esperanza Vazquez, his first and only love.”

Two things pop out in Julie’s mind at once: first, the bearded man had mentioned that this game would be personal to Arizona and that Caleb was his nemesis because he killed his parents and drove him apart from the woman he loved. The second thing that comes to her mind is that Esperanza Vazquez is listed as one of Luke’s weaknesses.

She’s not sure if she’s more irritated or worried.

She steps forward. “Step away from him,” she orders. For once, she’s thankful to her avatar for having such an authoritative voice.

Esperanza looks at her like she’s a disease. “Who are you?” she asks. She looks back at Luke. “Have you already replaced me, my love? And with a cheap wh- ”

Julie can’t stop herself. She runs forward and delivers a solid punch to the woman’s face. To her shock, Esperanza catches her fist and twists her arm around. Julie cries out in pain as her arm and wrenched around in an unnatural position.

She shoves Julie away and reaches under her skirt, brandishing a knife. “I see that you are different from the man I once loved. It is time for me to admit a secret of my own: I work for Caleb now. And he has ordered that you are to be stopped at all costs.”

Before anyone can react, she lunges forward and stabs Luke through the chest. Then the market is alive as men in black hoods leap forward, ugly looking curved swords and knives in their hands.

“Run!” Alex shouts. “Head straight out and we’ll meet in the desert!”

When Luke falls from the sky and lands, the shock and surprise has been wiped away and Arizona Johnson is in control. He calmly leaps into the fighting, brandishing a wooden pole he ripped from one of the vendor carts.

Julie stands at his back, her berserker mode activating itself. She moves lightning fast, dodging swords and knives and dealing out kicks and punches that cripple and knock out her opponents. She draws their attention while the others flee.

When she fights through the men to face Esperanza again, she’s ready. She rains down blows on the woman that she’s first able to block easily but increasingly grows slower. The adrenaline running through Julie’s veins is real; Esperanza is only a computer character and she can only hold up to the torrent so long. Finally Julie spins around and round-house kicks her in the face, watching as she slumps on the ground.

Julie turns around to see Luke throw his pole at a group of five men running at him. They all bowl over. A dozen more fill their places.

“Let’s go!” Julie shouts, turning and running down the street in the direction Alex had indicated. Luke follows, knocking down awnings and pushing carts in barrels into the path behind them.

Despite being held back by the fighting, they catch up to Trevor and Alex at the edge of town. Julie is about to ask where Carlos is when she catches a glimpse of a shadow running along the tops of the buildings. Show-off.

As they reach the edge of town, Carlos suddenly drops down in front of them. “This way!” he says, and ducks into a side alley. Julie doesn’t have the energy to fight him. She and the others follow.

A few paces later, they come upon a group of motorcycles standing up next to each other. Julie doesn’t know who they belong to but she doesn’t bother to ask. With the sound of Esperanza’s men at their heels, they all jump on one and ride back out, kicking up dust in their wake.

They leave the trading post behind them in minutes and ride out into the arid landscape. It reminds Julie of Nevada and Arizona. Spires and chunks of rock reach up to the open skies, providing ample opportunities for hiding.

They ride out until the lights of the outpost are just a blur in the distance. Carlos rides ahead and scouts out an overhang for them to make camp.

Alex attempts to make a fire out of the sparse brush around them. Trevor keeps to himself as he has since they entered the game. He knows he’s on thin ice with the others and he doesn’t want to risk drawing attention to himself, lest they leave him by himself. Julie would never allow that, but he doesn’t know that. Carlos is climbing up the rock face and exploring the immediate area.

“Julie.” She forces herself not to take her eyes off her task as she hears Luke approaching. “That wasn’t - I didn’t - ”

“Yeah.” She doesn’t want to have this conversation right now. Not after Luke’s been ignoring her because he won’t let his pride go for one conversation with Trevor. Not after she just watched him make out with another woman - computer character though she may be. Julie is tired and she knows she’s not thinking clearly. Adrenaline from the fight is still coursing in her veins, and she can’t guarantee that she won’t hit him.

“Julie, please talk to me.”

She keeps her back to him. “There’s nothing to talk about. It’s over. It’s done. It was part of the game. I just want to get out of here as quickly as possible.”

“That’s not - ”

“Guys?” Alex’s voice cuts through whatever Luke was about to say. “We have a problem.”

Julie whirls around instantly, her fists in the air. All she sees is Trevor and Alex standing around a scant fire.

“Where’s Nick?” Trevor asks. He motions to the motorcycles. “There’s only five of us here.”

Julie feels her eyes widen and her heart drops. Oh, gosh. Nick. They left him behind. How could they forget him? She was so focused on Luke and that stupid kiss and the men chasing them…

Carlos drops to the ground next to her, silent as a cat. He lifts an arm and points. “Look. Someone’s coming.”

A long motorcycle slowly drives around the desert. Alex picks up a flaming stick from the fire and waves it. Julie prepares for a fight, in case it’s one of Esperanza’s men. But when it rolls into their camp, she recognizes the avatar as Brad Wilson.

“Nick!” she exclaims, rushing up and hugging him. “We were so worried! We thought we had lost you. What happened?”

He pulls away from her, a strange look in his eyes. Then he rolls up his sleeve and holds out his arm, revealing a thick black tally. “I died. But I found my way back, so we’re all good.”

He seems awfully calm. Julie wonders if he’s still in shock. Or maybe he’s finally accepting the truth of their new reality.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” she says, wrapping an arm around him and leading him to the fire. “Here, Alex and Trevor are preparing food. It’s been a long day and we still have a long ways to go.”

“Yes, you do,” Nick agrees. Julie ignores the hurt looks Luke is sending her way. He acts like he’s not jealous of Nick, but she knows he is. He should know by now that Nick isn’t a threat, but who knows what goes on in that thick head of his? She certainly doesn't.

Julie settles on the ground next to Nick and wraps Luke’s shirt more tightly around her, trying to ward off the chill of the night.

-

Nick feels like he’s in some sort of waking nightmare. Every fresh horror that the video game brings only pushes him further to the edge. He’s trying not to publicly freak out because he doesn’t want to seem weak, especially compared to Luke and Alex, who seems perfectly calm despite the insanity of their situation, but he’s about one bad incident away from losing it.

Despite Julie’s patient explanations of the game, he still feels like he has no idea what’s going on. He just follows the others around like a lost puppy. What’s his purpose in the game, anyway? He’s the weakest link on the team, except for maybe Trevor, but honestly neither of them are really doing anything notable. Their avatars are pointless compared to Luke’s superhero-esque character or Julie’s Amazonian warrior or Carlos’ spy or even Alex’s cartographer. 

He’s just starting to feel at ease with the game when they’re attacked in the trading post. One minute, he’s trying to figure out what’s going on between Luke and Julie. He knows by now that Luke is the reason Julie rejected him, but he wasn’t sure whether they were a thing or if it was more one-sided. Julie seemed pretty pissed when that woman in the red dress kissed Luke, even though he didn’t reciprocate, and she seemed pretty territorial when she attacked her. Then, the next minute, they’re attacked by a bunch of men with large swords, the sharp silver edges gleaming in the moonlight. 

Alex yells something that Nick doesn’t catch. The others scatter, Julie and Luke staying to fight off the men and the others running out of the town. Nick tries to follow, but he’s cornered in an alley by a group of men. Nick had never wanted to know what being gutted felt like, but now he knows.

He falls from the sky and lands right back where he’d died. The men who killed him had left, satisfied that he was dead, but there are still others running around the town. Nick creeps towards the street and looks out. A few men run by and he presses himself flat against the nearest building.

“Poor, innocent boy, left all alone.”

Nick starts at the voice and turns. The man from the tavern, Caleb, appears out of nowhere and strides towards him. “They abandoned you. How does that make you feel?”

“They’ll come back for me,” Nick insists, but the words sound false on his tongue. He trusts Julie, but he doesn’t trust any of the others. What if they can’t find him? What if he dies here in the game alone?

What did he ever do to deserve this?

“What indeed,” Caleb sighs, as if reading his mind. “I didn’t mean for you to get involved in all of this, you know. You’re just an innocent bystander who got caught up in it. But I’m glad you came, Nick, because I think you can help me.”

Nick backs away as Caleb strides closer. “No. You’re the villain. I- I’m not going to help you.”

Caleb smiles endearingly. “You misunderstand me. I’m not asking.”

Nick isn’t sure what happens next, but when he blinks he’s suddenly not in control of his body anymore. He can see through it, and he can feel what happens, but he’s not the one controlling his body. Even worse, he can feel the presence of another mind. It’s ancient and large and mysterious and Nick knows that if he explores it, he’ll go insane.

He’s left to watch helplessly as his avatar’s body heads out of the town, in hot pursuit of Julie and the others.


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All rights belong to the creators and writers of Julie and the Phantoms (2020). I take no credit, and I do not mean to break any copyright rules. This is simply a work of fiction made for enjoyment. No money is being made.
> 
> Rating: K+

**Chapter 31**

When Julie wakes up, Carlos, Nick, and Trevor are already awake. Trevor has a fire started and is pulling out rations from his bag. He still moves with slow, slightly jerky movements, as if he's more of a robot than a man, going through the motions without fully processing anything. Carlos is climbing the sandstone monolith that towers over them. He’s nearly at the top and Julie doesn’t have the energy to call him down. Nick is talking quietly with Trevor. They fall silent when Julie sits down across from them.

She’s glad that Trevor and Nick have each other, at least. She hasn’t been friends with Carrie since she and Nick started dating, but she can’t imagine that Trevor wouldn’t like Nick. She’s sure they geeked out over music like she did with Trevor when she was a kid.

She feels a little bad that she hasn’t talked more with Trevor, other than answering questions and explaining the game. Julie is still coming to terms with the truth about his relationship to her mother, not to mention the whole thing with him and the boys and the tension that’s come out of that. Julie can’t condone his actions of stealing the bands’ music but that doesn’t mean she’s going to give him the cold shoulder when they’re in the middle of a life or death situation. For better or worse, Trevor has been an important part of her life. In some ways, he was almost like an uncle when she was younger. Though it's been years since those days, she still wouldn't wish anything bad upon him.

Trevor quietly hands her a ration. She thanks him and settles down to eat.

“Do you think they’ll ever forgive me?” Trevor asks, nodding to Luke and Alex’s sleeping forms.

Julie sighs. “I don’t know,” she admits. “I’ve tried talking to them, but they’re really upset. You do understand how they see it from their perspective, right?”

He casts his eyes down to the meager fire and nods. “I wish they would just hear me out. It’s not so black and white.”

“I think that if we make it back to the real world, they might give you a chance. But Jumanji isn't the place or time."

He nods, as if that was the answer he was expecting. He wraps his arms around himself. Julie has always noticed a slight instability around him, but now he just looks broken. Despite his on-call therapists and his meditation sessions, he doesn’t seem to have ever fully recovered from the trauma of his past. Julie understands because she’s been there. She’s been in his shoes. She's just starting to get over her mother's death (as much as ever one "gets over" such a thing), and she can't even begin to fathom how she would react if her mother suddenly walked into her life again. Of course she'd be happy, but she'd also be a little more than freaked out.

“ _If_ we make it back to the real world?” Nick asks, raising his head. His bangs, which normally fall in his eyes, are swept back to reveal his bright blue eyes. There’s something off about them, but Julie can’t tell if it’s just because he’s styling his hair differently or something else. “You don’t sound too sure.”

Julie keeps her voice even. “We will. We’ve beat this game before, we can do it again. We just have to keep from tearing each other apart.”

_That applies to me, too,_ Julie reminds herself. She shoves the images of Luke kissing that other woman out of her mind. He didn’t do anything. The woman initiated it and it was part of the game. It's not even his real body. Julie needs to move past it.

Luke and Alex stir from their sleep. As they wake up and move to the fire, Nick stands and heads over to the motorcycles, starting to load up their supplies. No one pays him any attention. Julie watches Luke and Trevor from the corners of her eyes, waiting to intervene if a fight breaks out.

Trevor hands them food without raising his eyes to theirs. They both take it without saying a word. As they eat, Carlos swings down from the rocks and joins them back on the ground.

“We should probably head out,” he says. “It looked like there was some activity in the village. They might be gathering a small force to chase after us.”

“The sooner we get to Ghost Fortress, the better,” Alex agrees. “If what Caleb said was right, then Willie might not have that long.”  
Julie wonders if they can even get Willie out of the game. Last time Caleb grabbed hold of him and dragged him away from them. Did he have to physically have to have a hold of him to keep in the game? Or was it because of Willie's contract? If the latter is the case, is it even possible for him to leave at all? He broke the contract, so does that mean he can leave if Caleb doesn't have a hold of him?

There's so much she doesn't know, but she's afraid to bring it up. She's hoping that Willie knows more about his situation. He always knew more about how Jumanji worked, a hazard of living here for so long. She wonders if he's been to this part of Jumanji before, or if it's all newly created for Caleb for their second time in the game.

Julie wonders if they can even get Willie out of the game. Last time Caleb grabbed hold of him and dragged him away from them. Did he have to physically have to have a hold of him to keep in the game? Or was it because of Willie's contract? If the latter is the case, is it even possible for him to leave at all? He broke the contract, so does that mean he can leave if Caleb doesn't have a hold of him?

There's so much she doesn't know, but she's afraid to bring it up. She's hoping that Willie knows more about his situation. He always knew more about how Jumanji worked, a hazard of living here for so long. She wonders if he's been to this part of Jumanji before, or if it's all newly created for Caleb for their second time in the game.

As soon as everyone is finished eating, they head out over to the motorcycles. Julie kicks her starter but nothing happens. She glances around and sees that everyone else except for Trevor is ready to go. He’s kicking at his, and once again nothing is happening.

“I think my motorcycle’s broken,” she says after a few more tries. She nearly has to yell to be heard over the sound of the other engines. 

“Mine, too,” Trevor says.

Luke pulls up next to her and checks over it with his eyes. Julie doubts that he knows much about motorcycles, but maybe Arizona Johnson does. “It was working fine last night.”

“And now it’s not.”

“Here,” Nick says, pulling up next to Julie. “She can ride with me. My bike has more space.”

Julie glances over at Luke before leaving her bike and climbing on behind Nick. Luke’s eyes narrow but he doesn’t say anything. Alex is stuck doubling up with Trevor, and neither looks happy about the prospect. When the new seating is arranged, they take off across the dusty ground.

They ride all day, not stopping for lunch. In the evening, not long before dusk, their bikes run out of gas. They push them as far as they can but eventually are forced to leave them behind and continue on foot. The landscape had been slowly changing from dry rocks and cacti to sparse trees. According to Alex’s map, they’ll easily reach the forests by noon tomorrow if they get an early start.

The tension from last night and this morning still hasn’t lifted. If anything, it’s only grown with their exhaustion. There’s grumbling and sharp words as they set up camp. When they all gather around the fire for dinner, everyone huddles by themselves.

“We probably could have made it farther if we weren’t all sharing bikes,” Alex says, rolling up his map and sticking it in the canister. 

“It was weird how the bikes were working fine yesterday and not today.” Julie doesn’t know much about motorcycles or engines, but she does know that things don’t just stop working for no reason.

“Maybe someone tampered with them,” Nick suggests. His eyes slide over to Trevor and then back quickly. “It could have happened while we were sleeping.”

“But why would they only mess with two of them?” Julie asks.

Alex doesn’t miss Nick’s glance towards Trevor. “Yeah,” he says slowly. “Maybe someone who doesn’t want us making it back to the real world.”

Trevor’s eyes widen. “Are you accusing me? I don’t want to be stuck here any more than you do! I have a family. I have to get back to Carrie."

“And you also stand to lose more than the rest of us. If we make it back to the real world, we could reveal you for being a fraud - to both the entire world and your family.”

Trevor shakes his head. “It’s not me. I swear it.”

Julie glances over at Luke, concerned by his silence in the matter. To her dismay, he’s staring straight at Nick.

“I saw Nick messing with the bikes this morning. I think he did it.”

Nick looks shocked. “Me? No, I was just loading our supplies.”

This is getting insane. If Julie doesn’t put a stop to this, then it’s going to get out of hand. She was literally just warning them about this earlier today.

“Don’t be ridiculous. Why would Nick tamper with the bikes? He’s just trying to be helpful so we can get out of the game faster.”

Luke throws his hands up. “Of course you’d defend him. But no one else was touching the bikes except for him.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Julie demands, her tone turning harsh. “And he happened to be the only person we saw touching the bikes. It would be pretty stupid of him to mess with them right in front of us.”

“Unless he knew that we would discount him as a suspect for that very reason.” Luke leans back. 

Julie glances back over at Nick. He’s looking at her with fearful eyes. “I didn’t do it, Julie, I swear.”

“I know. I believe you.” She shoots a glare over at Luke first and then Alex. “Some people are just having trouble being impartial on matters. All of us want to get out of the game. None of us would try to sabotage each other.”

“Why not?” Alex is once again looking over at Trevor. “Some people here have done much worse things already.”

“And not everyone has the same number of lives,” Luke adds. “Some of us have less than others. It would be an easy way to knock out the competition.”

The anger inside Julie bursts out. How dare he insinuate that Nick wants Luke to die so he can have her for himself? What has Nick ever done to make that seem like a plausible theory? “It’s not all about you, Luke!” she explodes. “Gosh, you’re so full of yourself sometimes.”

“I’m full of myself?” he stands. “You’re the one playing two guys at once!”

“That is _not_ what's going on - ”

Once the yelling starts, it gets out of hand. Alex tries to say something - Julie has no idea what - and then Trevor is also yelling. Nick sits quietly, watching it all happen. It ends up being Carlos of all people who break it up.

“Enough!” he yells, his Avatar’s deep voice cutting through them all. They all fall silent. “Sit down!”

They all do so, red-faced and staring at the ground. Carlos stands in the middle and slowly rotates, glaring at them all.

“As much fun as this video game is, it isn’t fun to hear you all constantly arguing with each other. I can’t believe I’m being the adult here. Whatever issues you have with each other, you need to either resolve or ignore until we beat the game. Otherwise we’re going to be easy pickings for Caleb and his men. Everyone understand?”

Everyone mutters an agreement. Carlos turns and promptly heads over to his sleeping bag. Julie glares at the fire, absently hearing as the others break off and also head to bed. Her heart is still pounding in her chest.

Nick scoots over closer to her. “Hey,” he says in a low tone. “Thanks for sticking up for me.”

She manages a weak smile for him. “Of course. You’d never do such a thing. Everyone is just riled up and anxious. They’ll pin the blame on anyone.”

“Yeah.” He pauses, then hesitantly asks, “So what’s going on with you and Luke? I thought you guys were like...together or something.”

Pain shoots up through Julie’s chest. “Yeah. I did, too.” She draws her shirt - the one Luke had given her the other night - more tightly around her and buries her nose in the collar. It doesn’t smell like him. It smells like Arizona Johnson - a man who is a complete stranger to Julie.

She rises. “I’m going to get some sleep. Good night, Nick.”

“Night, Julie.”

-

Their group is a sorry sight the next morning. Even Carlos, whose excitement about their prospects has yet to fade, carries with him a dampened mood. He trudges along at the very back of their group, his dark hood pulled over his face. Despite his wraith-like appearance, he’s still the brightest of them all.

Trevor walks by himself in the middle of the group, speaking to no one. His gaze is trained on the ground in front of him. He looks more broken than before, like a wind-up toy forced to perform. Luke and Alex continue to stick close together at the front of the group, now adamantly ignoring everyone else. They talk in low tones and shoot suspicious looks back at Trevor and Nick. Julie, who is walking next to Nick, feels Luke’s eyes on her often, yet every time she looks back he averts his gaze. 

Her anger at him had faded overnight, leaving behind traces of frustration and sadness. Frustration, because she can’t understand why he’s being so stubborn and thick-headed about Trevor, even to the point of straining their relationship. Sad, because she’s genuinely worried about him. He isn’t acting like the Luke she’s come to know over the past couple months. 

Julie is also worried because he’s on his last life. No one has acknowledged it, but without sleeves his two black tallies are stark reminders of his mortality. Julie almost lost him in the game last time and she’s terrified of losing him again. Even like this. _Especially_ like this, with them fighting over stupid things like old wrongs and jealousy over computer characters.

Still, despite all the thoughts and emotions swirling around in her heart, she can’t find it within herself to swallow her pride and bridge the gap. It’s not just her pride at stake, either; Julie knows he’s being ridiculously stubborn about the whole Trevor thing, and even the Nick thing, and this is an area she won’t compromise on. Luke needs to be the one to grow up and make the right decision. Julie isn’t his mom, she’s his...whatever they are. 

Luke isn’t the only one she has concerns about. Julie feels for Alex, who has been moodier than she’s ever seen him. She knows Willie’s fate must weigh on him every second because it does for her and she was nowhere near as close to him as Alex was. Alex is usually the most rational out of the three boys (not that that’s saying much) but he’s completely unhinged now. He’s like a man possessed, his only goal to reach Willie and get their group out of the game and Julie fears what he’ll do to anyone who stands in his way. He’s changed just as much as Luke has, and not in a good way.

There is of course Trevor to be worried about as well. The poor man looks on the verge of a panic attack or nervous breakdown at any given moment. Being sucked in a video game plus meeting angry ghosts from your past is never a good combination, especially for a man teetering on the edge anyway. Julie doesn’t know if his mental health issues come from being famous and all the related side effects that come with it or from the trauma of his best friends going missing when he was only seventeen years old, but he was already one bad life event from being unstable. Julie is surprised he’s handling it as well as he is.

And then there’s Nick. Julie’s worry about Nick is completely different from her concerns for the others. He seems to have made a complete one-eighty in terms of how he was handling this situation. Before they were separated in the trading post, he wasn’t much more stable than Trevor. Since he’s returned to them, he’s seemed a lot more calm and confident. He’s still quiet, but Julie doesn’t sense any fear from him. His eyes don’t dart around anymore, he doesn’t jump at every little noise, and his eyes gleam out bright and intelligently. None of those things sound bad, but Julie finds it a little suspicious how quickly it happened.

Barring any other logical explanation, Julie can only assume that dying in the game, coming back, and escaping from the town by himself helped him come to terms with the situation and gain self-confidence. Still, he doesn’t make quiet jokes the way he used to, even when he was scared. It’s almost like he’s become hardened.

Julie remembers how the game was starting to affect her mind when she was constantly going in and out for nearly two weeks. She had memory gaps, her physical body ached, and her mind was fuzzy. She wonders if something similar is happening with the others, only in a different way since they’re stuck in the game. But Luke, Alex, and Reggie were in the game for two months last time and they didn’t act like they are now.

The game has changed, though, and perhaps its effects on them have changed as well. Carlos is the only person who doesn’t seem to have any issues. Julie can’t tell if that’s a testament to his mental strength or his age and innocence. Carlos alone isn’t struggling with any massive problems that she knows of.

Whatever the case, Julie is eager to get out of here. With every step they’re getting closer to Ghost Fortress, where they’ll die or escape.

Either way, it will be over.


End file.
